Titans of Tomorrow The Vignettes
by Mako1
Summary: A series of vignettes featuring Cerdian, Lian Harper, Sin Lance, Damian Wayne, Chris Kent, Milagro Reyes, and Jai and Iris West. Some are silly, some are serious, some are full of crack. Rating due to language mostly . Each chapter will have warnings as needed.
1. Arsenal

Arsenal – Debutant nightmare.

Arsenal stared slack jawed at her father for a full minute before grabbing his hand and pulling it towards her. "Are you on one Dad?" she asked, inspecting his lone flesh arm for signs of injection sites.

It was Roy Harper's turn to gape at his daughter as she looked for signs of heroin use. "Excuse me?" he stammered.

"Are you on one?" Lian asked again, staring at a small red spot near the crook of his elbow before deciding that it was an insect bite. "Addiction's a lifelong struggle, we've gone over this numerous times," she added, continuing to look for any hint of drug abuse. Roy yanked his hand back from his daughter and scowled at her.

"I am not 'on one'," he growled. "I've been clean for over a decade," he added as Lian continued to study his arm. Roy reached for her chin with his bionic hand and brought it up so that she was looking him in the eye. "Just because I suggest that you would be perfect for an undercover mission, does not mean I've been shooting up!"

"A debutant ball though?" Lian asked, raising a suspicious eyebrow. "I mean seriously? Me as a debutant?" Roy's head fell back and he groaned. "Where the hell would I even be able to stash any weapons?" Lian asked. "Have you seen those nightmares, they call dresses, that those chicks wear to those things?"

"Lian!" Roy exclaimed. "Ollie suspects that the organiser of the local debutant society has gang ties. He wants an insider at their upcoming spring event. And you're perfect for the job."

"Do you even know me at all?" she asked, shaking her head in disappointment.

"Baby girl," he sighed. "I do know you. I know you have bigger balls than most of the men on this whole planet…but we need an insider and face it, you are perfect for this job." Lian scrutinised his eyes as he spoke and he got angry. "Would you stop that already? I'm not fucking high!"

"What is going on in here?" Dinah asked as she raced into the front room. She'd heard the yelling and came running, thinking that father and daughter were having another one of their fights.

Roy explained that he'd informed Lian of the debutant mission and Lian's reaction. "She responds by looking at my arm for track marks!" Dinah bit her lip for three point seven seconds before bursting into laughter. Roy let loose with a litany of curses as Lian folded her arms across her chest.

"Aunt Dinah, seriously…if you were in my place and heard that, from him, you'd think he was high right?" she asked.

Dinah snorted and laughed for a moment longer before answering the question. "Actually Honey, the first thing I'd think is 'how can I make their lives miserable?' The debutants lives I mean." Lian tilted her head to the side and reached up to fiddle with one of her earrings.

"You have a point there," she commented. "I hadn't thought about that…yeah, show them what they really are and check out Grandpa Ollie's lead at the same time," she murmured as she pondered how she would go about it. Roy looked at Dinah completely stunned as she folded her arms across her chest and smirked in victory. "Does this mission include a trip to the dentist to get the cyanide tooth implanted in case of emergencies?" Lian suddenly piped up.

"Forget it!" Roy yelled, throwing his hands up in defeat. "Forget I even asked you to do this," he hollered. "You're right…what the hell was I thinking?" Roy continued to yell as he stalked out of the room. Lian smirked in triumph as Dinah burst out into laughter again.


	2. The New Recruit

The New Recruit - Trial By Fire.

_A/N: I'm part Roma and this was an idea I've had for a fic for a very long time. While there are several reparation funds set up for Jewish and Slavic Holocaust survivors or their families; there isn't a single effort being made towards the Roma population, who were nearly exterminated entirely from some countries during WWII. The Teen Titans of the future give their newest recruit a crash course in what it means to be a Titan. The Titans are family and family sticks together. I know very little about Chris Kent, so forgive me for any OCC-ness of him in this fic. The doctor in this story is fictional and in no way intended to represent anyone living or deceased. Any similarities to such and individual are pure coincidence._

"Is Chris excited about Friday?" Martha asked her son and daughter in law. Christopher Kent had been returned to his foster parents as a child and raised by them, for nearly a decade. Connor was going to take him to San Francisco to join the Teen Titans.

Lois snorted. "Everyone is, except for him," she said, jerking a thumb towards her husband. "Thanks Connor," she added when he handed her a cup of coffee.

"Dude…it's the Titans. It always has been and always will be a place for the younger heroes to chill and relax away from the big guns," Connor said, taking his seat at the table.

"I know, I know," Clark sighed in resignation. "But I worry about how Chris will adjust to them."

"What's to worry about?" Connor asked shaking his head.

"They've known each other for a long time, he's…"

"Okay stop. Right there, just stop," Connor snorted, holding his hand up. "Damian might be a bit off putting at first, but they're kids. Chris will fit in just fine."

"I know, it's just that I worry sometimes," Clark sighed. Connor leaned back in his seat and stared at the ceiling.

"I never thought in a gazillion years that I would ever say this, but thank you," Connor muttered. "Thank you for never getting all 'Daddy' with me when you found out how I came into being." Clark glared at him but Lois laughed.

"Don't even glare," she said. "He has a point."

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to agree with Lois and Connor on this," Martha added. "You're being too over protective dear."

Clark Kent knew when he was beaten. He said nothing more on the matter for the rest of the week and even wished his adopted son good luck when Chris and Connor took to the air and flew towards San Francisco. On the flight over Chris asked how the family had managed to get Clark to finally see reason and stop worrying. Connor laughed.

"We beat him with the reason stick until he caved," he said.

"Where was I when this happened?" Chris laughed.

"Playing fetch with Krypto." They flew on in silence for a while until they came upon the Sierra Nevada Mountains. "Okay, Clark did have a point of sorts," Connor piped up. "He's concerned because they've known each other a long time, and you've only met them on the rare occasion."

"I'm not that ill-adjusted am I?" Chris winced. Connor laughed.

"It's not that," he assured the teenager. "It's just that from the outside they seem a bit…"

"Different?" Chris offered.

"That's putting it mildly," Connor concurred. "They just take a bit of getting used to."

They landed at Titans Tower and Connor waved his hand for Chris to enter first. Chris immediately understood what Connor had meant about the Titans taking some getting used to when he heard two female voices yelling.

"Jesus H. Christ! Defence you moron!"

"Pull your thumb out of your ass!"

Connor bit his lip as Chris stared in the direction of the voices. "That would be Kid Flash and Arsenal respectively," he explained as the two girls let loose with another litany of expletives. "Game one of the Stanley Cup…forgot about that," he winced.

"Wow," Chris stated as the two girls continued to yell.

"Yeah. They're in hockey mode so we'll just leave them to it for now," Connor said. "Trust me it gets ugly."

Chris just shook his head and followed Connor into a smaller room off the lounge the girls were in. He recognised Tim Drake-Wayne and Damian Wayne, but he wasn't certain about the individual seated in front of a computer. Damian was leaning against a counter and looking over his shoulder at something Tim was working on. He looked up when the two Kryptonians entered and nodded a greeting to them. Connor made introductions to which Damian just nodded. Tim waved a hand as he continued to focus on what he was working on and Jai flashed a peace sign. Connor folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the doorframe, while Chris stood nearby.

"Jai who are you hacking?"

"Le Banque du Suisse," Jai replied. Chris boggled in surprise.

"I'm pretty sure Diego has an account there," Tim pointed out as he fiddled with some notes on his laptop. "Damian, we're taking a side trip to L.A. on Monday," he muttered.

"Why doesn't Tiffany simply go through with her threat of taking over that branch?" Damian asked.

"She's this close, trust me," Tim replied, holding his thumb and forefinger a few millimetres apart.

"Bingo!" Jai chimed in. "A hundred and forty seven million in ill-gotten gains."

"That's all?" Damian sniffed.

"For real, right?" Jai chuckled. "Who did we donate to last time," he asked as he considered where to wire the contents of the account to.

"Doctors Without Borders," Tim replied. Chris looked at Connor who was just leaning against the door with a smirk on his face.

"Why not continue the trend and donate to Operation Smile?" Damian suggested. Jai snapped his fingers and pointed to the youngest Wayne.

"Good idea. They could definitely use the cash," he said as he proceeded to send the entire contents of the bank account to the charity.

"You just wiped out someone's bank account and donated it all to charity?" Chris stammered.

"Julio Diego is responsible for waging one of the biggest drug wars in South America," Tim stated. "He's been personally tied to the order of two hundred and ninety four murders, and he's sitting pretty in jail right now."

"It's not like he needs the money…lube maybe," Jai added with a smirk. Chris and Damian just shook their heads while Connor and Tim burst out laughing. Jai took a mock bow before beginning a new search in the bank's files. "Actually since I'm here…" he mumbled.

"Now what are you looking for?" Connor asked.

"Nazi money," Jai replied.

"That still exists?" Chris asked in bewilderment.

"In the billions," Damian replied in disgust. He glanced at Tim's laptop and frowned. "How was that imbecile ever nominated to run the L.A. Neon Knights facility?"

"The last mayor put him in charge," Tim growled. "I think Tiff's gonna relocate to L.A. to get everything sorted out."

"Oh you genocide endorsing bastard," Jai growled.

"Found an account?" Connor asked.

"Yeah," Jai said, furiously typing away. "Some high rolling douche in Argentina who inherited Daddy's money," he replied. "Enjoy your last withdrawal dick head." Jai wiped the account and wired the contents to a survivor's fund in Israel. Jai entered a few commands and a notice appeared stating that the account had been seized by Interpol. Chris Kent stared as he shook his head in amazement.

"Try not to think about it too much," Connor chuckled. "You'll have nightmares." Chris and Connor winced suddenly as the two in the main lounge let rip with a loud roar.

"Toronto one, San Jose zip," Jai stated as he continued to peruse the bank's files.

"How do you know?" Chris asked. Jai glanced over his shoulder.

"They sure as hell aren't cheering for San Jose," he replied. "Since neither of their teams are in the final they went with option two…the team from Canada."

"Are they wearing their team Canada jerseys?" Connor asked. "I could have sworn I saw red."

"Probably," Jai replied.

"Yes," Damian answered. "I commented on it before removing the remote from their possession."

"Good plan," Connor said.

"I'm not coughing up for another big screen," Tim added. "At least not for another six months." Tim frowned and dug out his mobile. "Tiffany? Yeah hi, it's Tim," he continued with his conversation as if no one else was in the room.

"I apologise for Timothy's rudeness," Damian stated to Chris. "Normally my family has impeccable phone etiquette…unless it involves one of our projects." Jai meanwhile leaned back in his chair and glanced over at Tim's laptop.

"What's going on with the L.A. facility?" he asked in concern.

"Too much and none of it good," Damian snorted.

"You've heard of Neon Knights, right?" Connor asked Chris. Chris nodded. "Tim's in charge of that and tends to defend it something fierce." Another roar from the lounge interrupted Chris before he could say that he understood.

"Two, zip," Jai rattled off. Connor suddenly asked where Bart was and Jai answered him. "With Courtney and the JSA thankfully," he jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "Otherwise that would be ten times worse!"

"What do they need Bart for?" Connor asked.

"That speed reading trick of his," Jai answered. "That can't be right?" he murmured as he studied a suspicious account he'd found.

"Speedsters don't all speed read?" Chris asked in surprise.

"They can all speed read," Jai explained. "But Bart's the only one that can retain it. He has a perfect photographic memory."

"Sounds like intermission," Connor stated, cocking his head towards the lounge. "Let's go meet the girls before the second period starts and the hockey rabies kick back in," he smiled, reaching for Chris.

Connor took one look at Lian and Iris and howled in laughter. They in turn gave him the finger and glared at him. Both girls were wearing team Canada jerseys and had maple leaves painted on their faces in blue. "Take your hockey seriously enough?"

"Get bent," Lian growled and then looked over her shoulder when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry for that," she added. Iris shot her head around and balked when she spied Chris.

"We're a bit fanatical," Iris added.

"So I've noticed," Chris grinned taking a seat on an armchair next to the sofa. "I heard you guys when we got in," he added. Both girls winced.

"When was that?" Lian grimaced.

"About fifteen minutes ago," Connor chuckled.

"Oooh…yeah, we're really sorry if anything we said might have offended you," Iris apologised.

Chris jerked his head towards Connor and smirked. "I've seen him during football season," he chuckled. Connor swatted at him and Chris held a hand up in surrender. As Chris talked with the two girls, Connor focused his attention back to Jai, Tim, and Damian in the next room over. Whatever Jai had found sounded serious. He was asking Tim and Damian to use all their detecting skills to prove a hunch of his wrong. He found an out when the announcers said that the second period of the game was about to start.

"If they get too out of hand, just remember that you can fly," he jokingly told Chris. "Girls be nice, he's new.

"Where are you going?" Lian asked.

"I'm beating a hasty retreat," he replied.

"Coward," Iris growled.

"Excuse me? Who taught you the fine art of badmouthing the Patriots?" Connor asked, folding his arms across his chest and attempting to look imposing.

"Point taken," Iris grinned.

"You're excused," Lian snorted.

"You know where I'm at, in case you do need a refuge from these two," he added to Chris before leaving. Chris waved his hand in acknowledgement and focused on the game with the girls.

"Who are those two?" Connor asked when he returned to the other room and saw the photographs on the screen.

"I'm praying to god that they're not the same guy," Jai muttered.

"I hate to tell you this kiddo, but judging from the pattern of moles on these two," Tim stated, pointing to the blemishes on the photos. "Not to mention this scar, they are the same man." Jai groaned softly and the other three looked at him. Tim saw the pale cast of Jai's skin and narrowed his eyes. "Who is he?"

"The worst kind of murdering hypocrite," Jai whispered. "Verify that these documents are from the same hand…the computer says that they are," he added, pulling up various writing samples that he'd found.

"Dude, I can tell that the same person wrote them," Connor offered. Jai glanced to his side at Tim and Damian and they confirmed what Connor had said.

"Who is he?" Tim asked again and Jai said that he'd explain in a moment. Jai called up Oracle on his computer.

"Oracle I need to talk to your husband if he's around…now," Jai said when she answered.

"Sure thing hon," Barbara Grayson replied. "Dick, Firewall wants a word and now!" she bellowed over her shoulder.

Dick came to the computer in a matter of moments. "Hey ki…whoa, what's wrong?" he said when he saw Jai's pale visage.

"I need to know the names of any Romani specific reparation funds or charities," Jai replied.

Dick frowned. "There aren't any," he stated.

"You're kidding," Jai almost sobbed. "Nearly eighty fucking years later and nothing?"

"If there were any, believe me I'd know," Dick said. "I'd donate almost exclusively to them if they existed."

"Is there anything?"

"There's Dosta, that's the big one in Europe. They focus on ended Roma prejudice," Dick replied and spelled the name for Jai. "Why?

Jai pulled up the picture of a frail old man first. "This is retired physician, Yitzhak Biterman. He's currently sitting pretty in an exclusive nursing home in Colorado Springs. He's dying of advanced Alzheimer's."

"Okay…"

Jai pulled up the picture of a much younger man in a Nazi uniform. "This is Dr Biterman when he went by his original name of Dr. Dierk Meier." Dick's jaw dropped. Jai continued. "He changed his name in nineteen forty four, and went into hiding with the help of ODESSA. When he came to America in nineteen forty seven, he claimed that he'd managed to escape the round ups and deportations by fleeing into Greece. He went on to tell officials that all of his assets had been seized by the Nazis."

"He lied," Dick murmured. "He changed his name to a Jewish one and lied."

"Oh yeah he lied," Jai exclaimed. "His assets in nineteen forty two, when he opened an account with a Swiss bank totalled roughly four million US at the time." Dick went pale as he absorbed what Jai was telling him. If Jai had looked at the trio in the room with him, he'd have seen that they had all gone deathly still as they listened in. "We also compared known hand writing samples under both names and they match. I'm over ninety percent certain that these two are indeed the same man."

Dick swallowed hard. "Why did you want to know about Roma specific funds?" he asked very carefully.

"I checked the ICC's records," Jai stated. "During the war, Meier worked directly under Josef Mengele…in Auschwitz-Birkenau."

"Have you had Tim or Damian verify your findings?" Dick asked.

"We have and they match," Damian stated. He rested his hands on Tim's shoulders and Tim reached for one to hold. Dick's head fell back and tears fell from his eyes.

"I'm so sorry," Jai whimpered. "Damian told us about what you found a few years ago…" he trailed off. "I'm so sorry."

"You're absolutely certain?" Dick asked his brothers.

"Positive," Tim answered. Dick swallowed hard again.

"Mark the account as anonymous seized Nazi funds to be used for reparations, and send every cent of it to Dosta," Dick ordered. "Excuse me," he blurted suddenly and ran from the screen.

Barbara came back on and glanced occasionally at where Dick had left to. "I'll look after him," she promised. They could hear retching in the background.

"I'm so sorry," Jai whispered again.

"Jai honey, you did nothing wrong," she assured him.

In the lounge, Chris turned his attention from the game and listened hard. "Sst!" he ordered, holding up a couple of fingers. Lian and Iris both looked at him as he focused his x-ray vision on the other room. "Something's wrong," he said and got up. Iris bolted to the television and shut it off manually as Lian raced after Chris. Iris followed and found her twin brother in tears.

"Oh God, Jai," she said, sitting in his lap and hugging him tightly.

"I'm so sorry Irey," he muttered before leaning into his sister and letting his emotions flow.

"What happened?" Lian demanded. Connor glanced around the room and decided to take it upon himself to answer. He explained what Jai had found and what they now knew about a dying retired doctor in Colorado Springs. Lian put her hands up to her mouth for a moment before stepping forward and hugging Jai from behind. She gently kissed the top of his head and murmured soothing words of comfort.

"Jai sweetheart, you did nothing wrong," Barbara reiterated.

"Do you need us to come home?" Tim asked. Barbara shook her head.

"I'll call if I need you…I promise." Barbara told him. "I called Bruce when you were talking to Dick. He, Alfred, Jase, and Cass are on their way over right now."

"We'll head home early on Sunday then," Tim said, running a hand through his hair and sighing.

"Agreed," Damian murmured. Barbara nodded to them and told them to look after each other before ending the transmission from her end so she could care for her husband.

Bart Allen raced into the lounge and screeched to a halt. He saw the television was off and glanced rapidly around, suddenly aware that something was wrong. He saw figures in the smaller room off the lounge and headed towards them, pulling his mask back. Chris Kent looked up when one of the Flashes walked in and spied his kid cousins.

"Irey, Jai…what's wrong?" he stammered. He raced over and knelt in front of them and hugged both twins to him. Iris informed Bart of what happened at super speed and Bart nuzzled his cheek against Jai's hair. "Shh, it's okay," he murmured. Christopher Kent glanced around the room until he finally focused on Connor, who was holding an arm out to him. Chris accepted the invitation and Connor wrapped him in a tight hug.

"The Justice League is a team," he murmured. "The Titans are family. Welcome to the family." Connor pressed his forehead to Chris'.

A little over an hour later, a somewhat composed Dick Grayson called in to Titan's Tower. "I am so sorry for the drama earlier guys," he apologised and Jai gave him a weak smile.

"I was crying first," he admitted.

"I'm truly grateful for what you found," Dick told Jai. "I don't want to know the numbers," he quickly added. The Titans nodded as one in understanding. Dick sniffed and leaned back in the chair, he wasn't looking at the screen as he continued to speak. "I know Damian told you about what I found out a few years ago…about what happened to the members of my family that were still in Europe during the war." He paused and the others waited, letting him take his time with what he wanted to say. "I remember when I found out that they'd all died." He swallowed before continuing. "I started having this dream. In it, I end up back in that horrible time…and I'm near Auschwitz. I sneak into the camp that night and find Mengele and get him alone in one of his butchering rooms." He paused for a full minute, yet no one dared to speak. "I do to him what he did to my people," he said and swallowed. Dick tilted his head forward so he could face the screen. "That dream scares the hell out of me," he admitted. "All I feel when I'm having it is the thrill of justice being done." He glanced to the side and gave a wan smile. "Because of that dream, I think I can relate to what Jason was going through when he returned.

"Do you want us to come home?" Tim finally asked. Dick shook his head no.

"Babs said you were coming home early on Sunday. I'll be okay," he assured his brothers. "Babs contacted the ICC and Interpol," he said changing the subject. "They feel that they can confirm Meier's identity pretty easily."

"How?" Lian asked.

"When he fled, he left behind a wife and two small sons," Dick started. "His wife gave the boys up and went into hiding, but she was found pretty quickly and…well she died." He waited to see if anyone would ask how. No one did. "The eldest boy was old enough to know what was going on and years later came forward with his story. When DNA came into use, both he and his brother submitted samples for Interpol to use if their father was ever apprehended."

"That was brave of them," Iris murmured. Dick nodded.

"With the DNA studies going on involving Alzheimer's research and that here in the states, it's a pretty good chance that his DNA is also on file. They only need to compare the films."

"Then what?" Damian demanded.

"Going by the condition he's in now, the ICC crosses him off of their list," Dick shrugged. "There's really nothing they can do now…he's apparently too far gone."

"That's not fair," Jai muttered.

"No it isn't," Dick sighed. "But I personally believe justice is just around the corner for him."

"What do you mean?"

Dick gave a small smile. "I'm as Catholic as they come without actually being a member of the clergy," he chuckled. "I believe that there's an operating table in Purgatory with his name on it."

"Eternal damnation huh?" Bart frowned.

"I take comfort in the idea," Dick admitted. He could see that not all of the Titans shared his belief. "Thanks to you, the world knows who he really is…what he really is. And even if he can't remember his past, the world knows it. He'll spend what little life is left in him with the rest of humanity probably despising him."

Connor snorted. "You really are the better man, huh?"

"I try to be," Dick said. "I'm not perfect, just ask those two," he added, nodding towards his brothers. Dick stretched and gave a yawn. "You did good," he stated. "It's not the ideal outcome, if there is such a thing…but look at it like this; in the long run, he didn't get away with it. That has to count for something," he smiled softly. "And on that note kids, I'm calling it a night. I'll see you two on Sunday," he finished, giving Tim and Damian a wave. Dick cut the transmission and there was silence for a while. Damian was the one to break it.

"I want to be Richard when I grow up," he confessed. The others shot him puzzled looks. "It's true. I have much to learn about compassion it seems."

"I know appetites aren't the greatest right now, but we should probably eat," Tim suggested after a while.

"Call it in and Chris and I'll go get it," Connor offered.

Monday morning rolled around and in Smallville; Kara Kent sat at the table and glanced between Martha and Lois. Clark was pacing behind her as Lois read aloud the story of Dr Dierk Meier. The story had made the front page across the globe.

"An anonymous source tipped off international authorities late last week, with the tip that ultimately led them to Meier," she read. "I can't blame the source for wanting to stay anonymous," she shuddered. Krypto barked and soon after Connor and Chris walked into the kitchen. They'd just returned from their weekend with the Titans. "Did you guys hear about this?" Lois asked, tossing the paper on the table.

"What happened?" Clark asked when he got a good look at the two. Chris slouched into his chair and glanced at Connor. Connor leaned forward and looked Lois and Clark in the eye.

"This is strictly off the record," he stated. "I mean secret ID off the record." The two reporters glanced at each other before agreeing to Connor's condition. "Yeah we know about it," he said. "Firewall's the one that found the guy." Lois and Kara gasped. Clark's jaw dropped as Martha raised a shaking hand to her mouth. "About twenty minutes after we got to the tower no less." Connor went on to explain everything as it had unfolded.

"How's Richard taking it?" Martha asked. Dick Grayson had been the first person she'd thought of when Lois began reading the story earlier.

"Better than the rest of us," Connor admitted. "I guess he made his peace and laid his demons to rest." Connor picked up the paper with a photo of the aged doctor. "Lord knows this monster may well be personally responsible for the deaths of any number of Dick's extended family…but he seems to have forgiven the guy…I guess." Connor let the paper drop and hung his head down. "I wish I was that forgiving."


	3. Firewall and Kid Flash

Firewall and Kid Flash – Disneyworld Hell.

_A/N: Firstly! The warnings, because this chapter has a few of them. Descriptions of blatant nudity, drunken/hung over behaviour, and language. If any of these are not your cup of tea, feel free to skip on to the next chapter. Sadly this is based a lot on truth. A couple of mates of mine told me this story years ago. The one I am basing some of Jai's shenanigans on in this, is proud to this day…over fifteen years after the fact, that he was kicked out of Disneyworld. This chapter is also largely responsible for the M rating._

Lisa Evans had dreamed of this trip since she and her friends had graduated Wilson High School in Keystone City, nearly five years earlier. The seven of them would save up and on the week of their fifth anniversary of graduation, they would all go to Florida and have a mini reunion. She knew that since they were all over twenty one now, that there would be drinking, but she really didn't think that it would get to the point that the following day would be one she'd remember for a very long time. They'd arrived in the Sunshine State the day before and headed for their rented beach house on the Atlantic coast. Of the seven of them, only Iris and Jai West had ever seen the ocean before. For the remaining five, this was just one of many memorable firsts. For Lisa Evans, her first full day in Florida would be one she wished had gone very, very differently. For the West twins, the day would be one that would go down in infamy among their super hero peers when they were told about it later. Lisa was preparing breakfast with the help of Iris and their friend Keisha, when she looked up and nearly lost a finger or two to the knife she was using.

Lisa looked up for a moment and saw Jai West staggering towards the house. He'd been swimming from the looks of it. And he had only been wearing sunglasses for his swim. Lisa's jaw dropped as she raked her gaze over Jai's lean, toned, and very nude body. "Oh my God!" she exclaimed. Iris and Keisha also looked up and saw Jai. Keisha wolf whistled while Iris scowled.

"Jai! Swimming in the ocean is not the same as taking a friggin shower! Go put some clothes on perv!" she bellowed at her brother.

Jai flipped his sister off as he walked into the house and mumbled something that may have sounded like 'fuck off'. The trio of young women couldn't be too certain as Jai seemed incapable of proper speech due to his hang over. Iris muttered under her breath and returned to chopping up fruit for breakfast. Lisa still stared slack jawed at Jai's retreating form while Keisha folded her arms across her chest and smirked.

"Y'know Irey, I always wondered whether your brother was packing Asian or Caucasian in his shorts," Keisha purred. "I see now that he's all Caucasian downstairs."

"Don't make me knife you, Johnson," Iris threatened, angrily shoving a piece of mango into her mouth. The other two girls that were on the trip wandered in a moment later. Amanda and Lauren Phillips were cousins and they both wore matching grins.

"That was a wakeup call," Lauren commented, as she poured two cups of coffee. She handed one to Amanda and took a sip from the other. "Irey, do you know that your brother is as naked as the day he was born?" Amanda barely managed to make it to the sink before spraying her coffee all over the place in laughter.

"Yes," Iris growled. "And I will be kicking his ass for it later."

"Kick Lauren's too," Amanda snorted from the sink. "She's the one that rigged the drinking game last night so that the guys would end up smashed." Lauren playfully swatted her cousin, while the other girls laughed.

"Yo, keep it down man," the last of their group muttered as he staggered into the kitchen. Like Jai, David White was heavily hung over. Unlike Jai, David at least had pants on. David groped for the handle on the refrigerator and stared inside for a full minute before grabbing a sports drink. He used his first gulp to wash down some pain killers he'd brought with him. "Lauren, I'm gonna get you back…one way or another," he vowed after a moment.

Lisa had breakfast ready soon afterwards and the girls had to force Jai and David to eat something. The two young men were not pleased with the amount of noise and growled a lot during the meal. Afterwards, they all piled into the van that they'd rented. Lisa was giddy with excitement as were the Phillips cousins. Keisha and Iris were less enthused, as the world of Disney was their destination, but decided to play nice for the others. Jai and David poured themselves into the back of the van and cracked open beer bottles. They assured Lisa when she squawked in indignation, that the tinted windows would prevent any police from seeing that there were open containers of alcohol in the car. Jai also pointed out that he'd seen several vehicles the day before, where passengers were openly drinking.

Lisa took the wheel and started up the van. Iris was sitting just in front of the two boys and had decided to sleep through the drive. She was awoken an hour later by Keisha, who wanted her opinion on which of the many Disney parks they should head for. "Hell if I know," Iris muttered, still half asleep.

"Magic Kingdom it is!" Lisa crowed from the driver's seat. That woke Iris up.

"Oh whoa there," she exclaimed. "No princess land."

"The boys need to be punished for this morning," Amanda declared with a giggle.

"Oh nononono," Iris countered. "I don't have to be punished too."

"You threatened me with a knife West," Keisha smirked. "You're going down."

"You were mentally taking a tape measure to my brother's dick!" Iris retorted.

"Nine inches," Jai mumbled from the back. Iris groaned and Keisha smirked.

"Really?" Keisha chimed in. "And how about…" but Iris cut her off.

"Don't even or I'll kill you for real," she growled. Keisha leaned back in her seat and laughed.

"Inch and a half round…tape measure verified," Jai replied to Keisha holding his forefinger and thumb up in an o shape. Iris rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath.

"Damn bro, you got lucky there. At least the Korean half didn't influence that." David snorted. "I am bigger though," he bragged.

"Isn't that part of the whole racial cock stereotype thing?" Jai snorted. "Asian means, ladies bring a magnifying glass and zero expectations."

"While the brotha here means, you need to be this tall to ride and a doctor's note may be required!" David cackled. He and Jai high fived. They were startled when they heard the horn beep. Lisa had let her head fall forward until she hit the centre of the steering wheel, causing the horn to go off. The other passengers in cars around them, waiting at the parking toll looked at the van in curiosity.

Amanda leaned over and patted Lisa on the shoulder. "I've got three older brothers," she said. "Unfortunately it is a universal guy thing."

"Damn girl, you act like you've never seen one before?" David accused from the back of the van. Keisha howled in laughter.

"Until this morning, she hadn't."

"I was your first naked dude?" Jai grinned. "Aww, I feel special now."

"What were you doing naked?" David asked, cocking an eyebrow at him.

"I wanted to go swimming this morning but was too drunk to find my trunks, so I said fuck it." David nodded at Jai's logic and agreed that it made sense.

"Would you jerks shut up so I don't crash and kill us all!" Lisa hollered from the driver's seat. David and Jai shrugged and leaned back in their seats and closed their eyes. Iris glared daggers over her shoulder while Keisha, Amanda, and Lauren all laughed. Lisa finally found a parking space and stopped the van. "Let's go," she growled.

They piled out of the van and the two young men saw the gleaming pastel coloured castle in the distance. "Oh hell no," David exclaimed.

"I'm too fucking drunk for that shit," Jai added in horror.

"Hung over," Amanda corrected with a chuckle.

"I didn't get enough sleep to qualify for hung over," Jai countered.

Lisa's dark mood brightened almost instantly as they headed towards the front gates of the park. They paid the admission and entered the park, Lisa and the Phillips cousins were ecstatic and took pictures of everything for several minutes. Jai and David were studying the map of the park and frowning. As the two young men were distracted, a pair of ducks came over and mugged for photos with the girls. Iris howled in laughter as Daisy and Donald headed for Jai and David next. Neither of them saw the ducks coming.

"Jesus fuck me, what the hell?" Jai exclaimed. David let loose with a similar litany and the two costumed characters scurried off. Lisa sagged her shoulders and glanced skywards.

"I have waited my whole life for this, why are you doing this to me?" she asked no one in particular.

"God is taking a vacation?" Iris suggested, which got several laughs from their friends.

"Tell you what," Keisha suggested. "Why don't you, Amanda, and Lauren wander around for while? I'll babysit David, and Irey can wrangle Jai for a while. We'll meet up for lunch at around one." They picked a spot on the map to meet up at.

"Great…leave me with the grouchy drunk," Iris snorted, as she grabbed Jai by the elbow.

"Excuse me?" Keisha mocked. "I volunteered to take on the six and half foot tall, three hundred and fifty pound, former line backer, drunk," she stated, jerking her thumb at David.

"But he's a happy drunk," Iris retorted. "I have the one that could make the Grinch cry."

"Where'd the three princess fiends go?" Jai asked as Iris and Keisha playfully argued back and forth.

"Aw damn. Y'all got ditched," David chuckled.

"That was fast," Iris remarked when she looked around for her friends.

"Well since Lisa has been waiting for this trip since she was born, we might as well let her have her fun," Keisha stated. "Besides, at least we're getting this out of the way first," she added, with a waggle of her eyebrows.

"I'm throwing her ass into the god damn shark ride tomorrow," Jai muttered darkly. "This is no place to be while heavily intoxicated."

"Could be worse," Keisha snorted. "You two could be on acid…then imagine how this place would be." Jai and David both turned green at the very idea. "Exactly." Keisha led David away and Iris pulled on Jai's arm.

The twins wandered down the main shopping area and Jai suddenly perked up. Iris spotted what he'd seen and immediately knew what he'd been thinking. "Lian will kill you, have Damian's grandfather resurrect your ass, and kill you all over again," Iris stated when she saw the bright pink tee with the glittery writing.

"It'll be so worth it," Jai snorted as he headed into the shop and purchased one of the tees in Lian's size. "For my favourite princess," he smirked a few minutes later, holding up the bag with the tee for Iris to see.

"If Mom or Dad ask, I'm disavowing knowledge of anything," Iris laughed as they continued to wander. It wasn't long before Iris spotted something that she wanted to get for Lian and it was Jai's turn to tease.

"Yet you give me grief over a tee?" he smirked as she cuddled the little plush fox in a Robin Hood outfit.

"Mine makes more sense and is less likely to get me maimed."

They eventually met up with the others for lunch and Jai and David began to feel little better than they had in the morning. As they were leaving to wander the park some more, Lisa saw it. "We have to go!" she grinned as she pointed at the ride. She was met with half a dozen resounding 'no' responses, but she wasn't deterred. "It's like the holy grail of the Disney experience!" She continued to plead until finally everyone consented just to shut her up. Lisa practically skipped to the end of the tediously long line.

"Look at it like this," Iris muttered leaning into Jai to whisper in his ear. "Afterwards we can ruthlessly mock the hell out of it…legitimately!"

"There isn't enough money in the universe to make up for the soul rendering torture, we're about to endure," Jai murmured. "Remind me to hack the FBI and have Disney listed as a cult."

"It's an obsession, but I don't think it's quite a cult," Keisha chuckled.

"Really?" Jai smirked. He proceeded to tell Keisha and David about an in depth discussion he'd once had with Damian about how Disney was really a fanatical cult bent on world domination, disguised as an entertainment giant.

"I don't know who this Damian dude is, but damn! He's got a point," David agreed when Jai finished his story. Keisha was just shaking her head.

"You spend way too much time in front of the computer," she commented.

They finally made it to the front of the line and Lisa was on the verge of losing her voice, she was talking so excitedly about living out her dream. They got on and Iris was seated next to her brother, who was cringing in his seat. The ride started and the hell began for Jai. "I'm too drunk for this," he whined as the ride continued. The colourful automatons dressed in out dated versions of national dress moved around and smiled eerily at the passengers. The song wasn't helping Jai either. "Oh you're fucking kidding me," he muttered when the ride suddenly grinded to a halt. "Why we stopped?" A voice came over the speakers playing their insidious tune and informed the passengers that there was a minor technical glitch and that the ride would start up again, shortly. Jai slouched deeper into his seat as automatons in conical straw hats continued to dance around a mock up of the Great Wall of China. The insidious tune played through twice more and they hadn't moved. Jai couldn't stand it anymore.

"Get your ass back in here," Iris hissed at him, when he got up and jumped across into faux China looking for an exit.

A voice came over the speakers again asking that people remain in their seats, the ride would start up shortly. Jai wasn't about to comply and went in search of an emergency exit. He was found by two security guards who escorted him away rather roughly. Iris slid into her seat and held a hand over her face in embarrassment. The others had seen Jai's daring escape from Small World hell too. Keisha was threatening David with physical bodily harm if he even considered following Jai, while Lisa's lower lip began to tremble. Amanda and Lauren were howling in laughter. The cousins decided that maybe it hadn't been a bad idea after all to get on the ride if they were going to be treated to Jai's antics. Finally after another five minutes, the ride jerked into motion again and they were moving. Two pastel coloured employees were waiting for them at the end to inform them that their friend had been escorted to the front gate and would be waiting for them there.

"I'm gonna kill him," Iris growled as they decided what they wanted to do. The hidden speakers playing music around the park suddenly squawked and a new song came on. One that was definitely not Disney created or approved. "I'm really gonna kill him," Iris stated when she recognised the song and what had happened. Jai had hacked the audio system and now everyone around the park could hear the less than family friendly strains of _Happy, Happy! Joy, Joy!_ Complete with insane ramblings about bumblebees.

"Let's just go," Lisa sighed. "Before he replaces the music with heavy metal or something."

The six of them made their way to the exit and found Jai a little ways down the outer wall, fiddling with a small handheld computer. David got to his knees and bowed deeply before him, laughing as he tried to praise Jai as a hero. Jai smirked and got to his feet, helping David to do the same. Iris told him he could un-hack the music system now, to which Jai feigned innocence. The look she shot her brother got him to confess that he had only hacked the system long enough to play the one song. "Twice," Iris muttered. Jai shrugged and reached into a bag he was carrying. He pulled out a small blue alien plush and handed it over to Lisa in apology.

Lisa sniffled as she accepted his gift. "I still hate you, but thanks. He's cute." She cuddled the Stitch plush to her chest. "At least you didn't replace the music with something too outrageous," she added as they went into the parking lot to find the van. Jai laughed.

"I was going to put on Nine Inch Nails' _Heresy,_ but that's just a bit much." The others gave him blank looks while Iris groaned. Iris proceeded to tell them a bit about the song, including its inflammatory chorus. "Hey, it's good music," he smiled as they wandered around looking for the van, which they found half an hour later.

The rest of the trip was nowhere near as eventful, although Jai did end up skinny dipping while drunk twice more. The second time was on the morning they were leaving, which was good because one of the neighbours had complained about Jai's unabashed nudity. When Jai and Iris returned to the Tower in San Francisco, they regaled their teammates with the story of their trip. Iris shook her head sadly when they cheered about the part of Jai getting kicked out of the happiest place on earth. Lian had even forgiven him the glittery, bright pink, 'Princess' tee he'd gotten for her, as she flung her arms around his neck, calling him her new hero.

Eight years later Lisa Jefferies, née Evans entered the gates of the Magic Kingdom with her husband and two small daughters. It was after the family had had lunch that Lisa found herself humming an odd tune. She stopped dead in her tracks suddenly, concerning her husband and daughters. "I'm going to kill the half Korean son of bitch the next time I see him," she stated, when her husband asked her what was wrong. Her husband raised an eyebrow at her harsh language and she said she'd explain later. That evening after tucking her daughters in, she explained to her husband about the only other time she'd been at the park.


	4. Robin

Robin – Prank Wars.

_A/N: I neither endorse nor encourage the following be pulled on some poor unsuspecting sod you may know. There, my conscious is clear now. This one comes with a Jason Todd warning…meaning creatively colourful uses of the English language. NOW my conscious is clear. ^^_

To be fair, Jason had started it; if anyone were to ask about the bizarre happenings one summer around the Wayne household. On more than one occasion, Bruce found himself staring in a mixture of awe and horror at one of his sons as they came into where ever Bruce happened to be, muttering dark promises of vengeance. When Alfred had finally put his foot down and demanded that the shenanigans cease, Dick, Tim, and Damian had all pointed to Jason and claimed that it had all been his fault. They were just respecting the rules of engagement when it came to sibling rivalry. The aged butler didn't care who had started it. It was ending now, or else. When Dick had asked what the 'or else' was, Alfred threatened to take a two week long holiday. Bruce stepped in immediately and sided with Alfred that the pranks needed to end. They did…at least at the house. Team bases were still fair game, but that was a story for another time.

They had all just returned to the cave after a long evening of patrolling the city. Jason made a comment that Damian needed to lighten up, to which the youngest Wayne raised an eyebrow at. "I'm serious kid," Jason stated. "You're seventeen years old and you can give Alfie a run for his money in the formality department!"

"I was unaware that formality was a crime," Damian crisply replied.

"It isn't, but Jesus Christ kid, mellow out," Jason pleaded. "You don't have a fun bone in your body." Jason headed for the showers and missed the narrowing of Damian's eyes at his retreating back. Tim didn't though and groaned. Jason Todd had unwittingly set the stage for a prank war. Tim was certain of it.

"Keep the bloodshed to a minimum," he asked as he removed his mask.

"I will," Damian replied, smiling sweetly. Tim blanched when he saw the uncharacteristic smile.

"This can only end in tears," Tim muttered as he headed upstairs to the manor. "Or in a trip to the morgue, or both even," he muttered.

Damian smirked as he considered his options. He'd wait, more for Tim's guard to be let down than Jason's. But he would wait and bide his time before striking. Eleven days had passed before Damian made his move. Damian laced Jason's post patrol coffee with a mild sedative to ensure that he would remain asleep while Damian put his plan into action. Damian had swiped the roll of industrial plastic wrap from the mail room at Wayne Enterprises and hidden it in his room. He had also purchased a variety of clocks specifically chosen for their particularly annoying alarms.

Satisfied that Jason was in bed and drugged, he snuck into the room with his supplies and went to work. Damian raised an eyebrow when he saw that Jason had only just managed to strip his clothes off and fall into bed. True it was unseasonably warm out, but Damian didn't think that the weather merited sleeping in the nude. However, he chose to look on the lighter side and saw this as a good thing for later when the alarms all went off. Rearranging Jason so that he was on his back and not so sprawled, Damian proceeded to use the entire roll of plastic wrap to bind Jason to his bed. Dick Grayson was startled from a sound sleep by a cacophony of hideous racket mixed in with profuse swearing from Jason. He leapt from his bed and raced across the hall to Jason's room. What he saw rendered him incapable of standing without support as he howled in laughter.

"Oh my fucking God! Don't stand there you useless prick, help!" Jason berated Dick, who was sliding down the wall in hysterics.

"I…can't…breathe," Dick gasped, holding onto his stomach as he gasped for air. He was starting to turn red from laughing so hard.

"Jason, the other members of the household would greatly appreciate if you turned your alarms off, please?" Damian chimed from the doorway. Dick flopped over onto the floor still screaming in laughter. Damian looked down his nose at the eldest brother before looking at Jason with a smirk and folding his arms across his chest. Everything suddenly clicked in Jason's sleep addled brain. Damian had done this to him.

"You fucking, arrogant, misbegotten zygote! I'm gonna kill you!" Jason screamed from his prone position on the bed. "Oh fuck, get me out of here, it's hot…turn the fucking clocks off," he whined. Damian was unmoved and reached into his dressing gown pocket for a camera. Jason let rip with an even more colourful litany of language as Damian snapped pictures.

"Well you did naively suggest that I lack a fun bone in my body," Damian stated as he took several more pictures. "I couldn't let that sort of affront to my character go unpunished." Jason howled with a litany of curses that would leave even the most profane abuser of course language in awe.

"What the hell is going on in here?" Tim asked as he stepped into the room. "Oh you're good," he complimented Damian when he saw what had happened to Jason. Tim went over to turn the clocks off first and then inspect the wrappings.

"Thank you Timmy," Jason sighed in relief after the clocks were shut off. "I take back everything I've ever said or did to you."

"That's great Jay," Tim replied. "I'll be right back…scissors aren't getting this off," he added as he stepped out of the room. He quickly returned with one of Damian's swords and suggested that the weapon's owner leave, while his victim was still prone. Damian smirked and cackled as he left. Tim lay on the floor and shimmied under the bed and began cutting the plastic. "There's no way I can do this on your side and not slice you apart," he'd explained when Jason asked what he was doing.

Dick had finally managed to control his laughing fit long enough to sit up and lean heavily against the wall. Tim sliced through the plastic binding Jason to the bed and shoved it from under the bed. Jason was soaked in sweat so the plastic didn't stick to him as he heaved the mass of wrappings off. Dick snorted when he saw that Jason was nude under the plastic and Tim raised an eyebrow when he shimmied out from under the bed. Jason threatened the pair of them with maiming if they said anything, as he pulled a pair of sweats on. Walking past Dick, he kicked at his hip and thanked him for his complete lack of help.

Jason was in a mood and the only thing that would calm the killing rage within was a workout in the cave. He stalked down the carved steps and spied Bruce sitting in front of the crays. Bruce looked up and asked Jason what was wrong. Jason glared and marched over to his adoptive father.

"The next time the urge to pork Talia kicks in, make sure you have a fucking condom…or better yet, go get a vasectomy!" Jason growled.

"I beg your pardon?" Bruce asked, staring at Jason.

"That failed miscarriage you knocked her up with is dead fucking meat!" Jason vowed. He proceeded to tell Bruce what Damian had done and Bruce was truly floored. Dick, he'd expect that kind of behaviour from. Jason even, but not Damian. His youngest was far too serious to pull pranks, or so he assumed. "The sadistic little bastard admitted it," Jason stated. Bruce was impressed. He was also filled with dread, because he knew that the sparks of war had been fanned and would be a raging inferno of retaliation before long. He just hoped that his sons used some common sense in their attacks.

Jason may have been the hot tempered one of the brothers, but he was also calculating. He planned his vengeance carefully as he considered how he would get Damian back for the plastic wrap. Dick had been added to the list of vengeance because of his failure to assist when Jason desperately needed it. Damian would be fairly easy to get back, Jason determined. He'd bide his time of course, but as far as he was concerned, Bruce's biological son was as good as got. Dick would be trickier and would require creativity. He focused on getting Damian first.

Unfortunately for Jason, there was an entity in the manor that would prevent even the slightest hint of mould from developing and setting up shop in the home. That entity meticulously intervened, by collecting discarded bath towels and washing them before they became biological hazards. The same entity also had a mental record of every towel in the house and could account for their whereabouts at all times. Alfred would have to be bypassed for Jason's plan to work. Jason went and bought a towel identical to the ones kept in the home and prepared it. He let it soak for a while in filthy water, collecting in an abandoned corner of the grounds. He collected it a day later and put it inside several trash bags to let it ferment and stashed the towel in the cave where no one could find it.

A month passed and Jason saw his opening. Damian was a cleanliness freak. His hygiene habits bordered on psychosis and Jason had every intention of striking the teenager where it hurt the most. The towel he had purchased was beyond hopes of saving when he fetched it from the cave. Even Jason blanched at how putrid it had become as it had festered away in the cave. Damian always took a shower before heading to the west coast for his weekends with the Teen Titans. While Damian was showering, Jason replaced the pristine towel Damian had, with the putrid one he'd cultivated in the cave. Jason leaned against the wall outside of Damian's bathroom and waited. The scream of horror was priceless. Jason howled in laughter.

"I'll disembowel you with a plastic spoon!" Damian screeched as he turned the shower on again to near scalding.

Tim had heard the screaming and yelling and came in to investigate. He spied Jason doubled over by the bathroom door and shook his head. As he walked into the bathroom, he saw the towel and nearly gagged. "It's growing fungus," Tim gaped in horror at the bright orange clumps of fungi scattered across the towel. Tim went and got one of Damian's swords to pick the towel up with and was about to leave through the window with it when he turned back to Jason. "You might think you're a homicidal maniac," he said. "But that kid…yeah you're screwed." Tim leapt to the grounds below and took the towel away to burn it.

"Zygote down, Gypsy boy to go," Jason smirked as he left Damian's room to exact revenge upon Dick.

Dick Grayson heard about the nightmare towel and grimaced in sympathy as Damian ranted and raved about the many ways he was going to make Jason suffer for the affront. Dick asked that he not get too carried away and headed for his quarters to get ready for a night on the town with Barbara. He locked his bathroom door just in case, but it was too late. Dick turned his shower on and stepped under the water to let it soak the tension from his frame away. It began to smell sweet in the room and Dick cracked an eye open. Water wasn't supposed to come out of the taps the colour found in cartoons. He clicked his tongue in amusement and tasted blue raspberry. Someone was going to pay, as Dick shut the water off and reached for a towel to dry himself off with. His skin was stained blue from the drink power hidden in his shower head. He sighed and wrapped the towel around his waist. Heading out into the hallway he went in search of the culprit. Tim and Damian were just getting ready to leave for San Francisco when they saw him. Damian's face fell in horror and Tim started laughing.

"Why are you blue?" Damian asked.

"Oh my god!" Tim gasped. "Papa Smurf came to round up all his little smurfs!"

"You quite done?" Dick asked and Tim nodded feebly. Dick was about to explain when Tim gave up and let loose with a round of tasteless smurf jokes. Even Damian cracked a smirk at some of them. "Are you done?" Dick asked again. Tim laughed and said that he was.

"What happened?" Tim chuckled. Dick had his answer.

"Jason and half a tub of blue raspberry kool aid," he snorted. "Have fun out west kiddies. Prepare for a funeral when you get back," he added as he marched off to find Jason.

Dick found Jason in the cave. Jason looked up and smirked as Dick marched over to the crays. "That's for falling on your ass and laughing, instead of helping me get out of the Zygote's trap," he stated as Dick fired up the email program.

"Fair enough," Dick commented. He attached a file to an email to Donna Troy. "Mind telling me how you rigged it so that the kool aid wouldn't come out immediately?"

"Trade secret," Jason smirked.

"Donna's gonna love these then," Dick replied and hit send on the email he'd composed to her.

"Donna's gonna love what?" Jason asked.

"The pictures Damian took of you wrapped in plastic," Dick responded, folding his arms across his chest and turning to face Jason.

"Touché blue boy," he snorted.

"We're even," Dick stated, raising an eyebrow at his younger brother. Jason held his hands up in defeat and agreed that they were. "Now…want to help me nail Timmy?" he asked. Jason gave him a curious look. "For his failure to stop with the smurf jokes."

"We are even?" Jason asked sceptically.

"We are even. Kool aid for pictures sent to Donna."

"Wanna know what I was originally going to do to Damian?" Jason asked. Dick nodded and Jason explained his plan in epic detail. Dick let a smirk curl the corner of his mouth.

"I'm in."

A week later and Tim never knew what hit him. He was bone tired and only wanted to sleep for a month. He staggered into his room and fell back into bed. He continued to fall through his mattress that had been replaced with wrapping paper and into a foul mess of dog food, jam and much to his horror, thumb tacks. Tim writhed around to try and get up, but slipped in the dog food and jam. He bellowed out a few choice words when he felt the first prick of a thumb tack in his rear. Alfred had heard the yelling and came to investigate. He spied Dick and Jason in Tim's doorway and they were both laughing. Alfred brushed past them and saw what they found so funny. He glanced over his shoulder at the two eldest and frowned. He respected their need for creative outlets, but this had gone too far. The smell of the dog food was bordering on nauseating.

"If you two are quite done enjoying in Master Timothy's suffering, might I suggest that you help him out of the mess you made," he instructed. He saw Damian standing behind them gawking in horror at Tim's situation. "Master Dick, Master Jason, after helping Master Tim, you both shall both clean up the mess you so freely made," he added and stalked off.

"Wow," Damian exclaimed. Jason snorted a laugh as he reached down to pull Tim up.

"I was going to do this to you Zygote, so don't get too impressed."

"I'm murdering you both in your sleep," Tim vowed to Dick and Jason as he finally got to his feet. "Full stop. You're both dead." Tim stalked off to take a shower and get rid of the putrid mess he was covered in.

Later Alfred had the four of them lined up in the kitchen with Bruce. "While I admire your creativity, the practical jokes stop now," he stated. "Or else."

"Or else what?" Dick asked.

"Or else I take a much needed two week holiday to St Tropez, Master Richard," the butler stated.

Bruce stepped up next to Alfred and glowered at his sons. "I second the motion. No more pranks."

"He started it," Dick muttered, jerking his head towards Jason. Damian and Tim nodded their agreement and Alfred scowled.

"I do not care who is responsible for this. It ends now," Alfred reiterated. "You are excused."

Damian glanced at Tim out of the corner of his eye as they headed back upstairs. "We're doing the dog food to the Kryptonian at the Tower, right?"

"Oh hell yeah we are!"


	5. Eggs

Superboy – Practice

_A/N: I'm using Chris Kent as Superboy for my future Titans story arch. Kon graduated to Superman II a while back._

It had been a month since the fateful day that Chris Kent had joined the Titans. He was following Connor to the Tower on a Friday morning and Connor had slowed. "I wonder how much Jai and Damian are bleeding?" he said which took Chris by surprise. "Damian was raised for the first decade of his life by assassins, and since Jai's powerless, he took it upon himself to train Jai," he explained when he saw the stunned look over his shoulder. They pulled up high over Oakland and Connor told Chris to listen. "See if you can hear what I'm talking about."

Chris heard many things. The commerce of the sea, as ships were loaded or unloaded at the docks. Wildlife abound; he was surprised to hear the sea lions that lived at Pier 39. People by the millions as they starting their last day of the work week. There, a series of clacking sounds and grunts. He focused on that and that's when he heard Damian's distinct clear voice. He was suggesting corrections of posture. Chris nodded that he'd finally found what Connor had asked him to and Connor smiled.

"They practice with wooden swords, but those are lethal in their own right," Connor said as they began to fly again towards their destination.

"How are wooden swords lethal?" Chris asked.

"Japanese Kendo training swords," Connor replied. "Trust me; those can do just as much damage as the real thing in the hands of an expert. And J and D are experts."

They landed on the island and the sound of wood cracking against wood was crisp and loud in the early morning air. "Kryptonians," Damian huffed and the sounds stopped. Chris saw that they had two training swords each, one longer than the other.

"Don't stop on our account," Connor told them as he walked by towards the Tower. "Show Chris what you two consider a fun time." Jai chuckled while Damian scowled. Chris was staring at them slightly slack jawed. Jai had a cut across his chest that was slowly weeping blood, and Damian had one on his arm doing the same. Neither boy seemed fazed by their wounds.

"Very well Christopher," Damian stated. "Since your mentor seems to think that practice is a 'good time', I want you to observe as Jai and I spar," he instructed. "Study how we move and when we're done, you'll join us."

Jai had been taking a drink of water and raised an eyebrow at Damian's last statement. "He has Irey take us on with her speed to see if she can disarm us without getting hit," he added.

"She's a speedster though," Chris reminded the two.

"Yes, and Iris is hit often," Damian countered. "Jai." Jai tossed his water bottle aside and took his stance across from Damian. Chris watched in awe at first before shaking his head and studying how the two boys sparred. Jai managed to get Damian across the abdomen and the scratch began to bleed, but neither of them stopped. The session ended when they both managed to strike what would have been killing blows at the same time. Chris gasped but saw that they held back from actually striking each other. Jai pointed to Damian's stomach and he looked down. "Well played, I didn't feel that," Damian complimented. Chris boggled.

"Yeah well I did feel this one," Jai added, showing him the cut on his shoulder and the bruise developing around it.

"You were supposed to, you were being sloppy in your defence," Damian countered before turning his attention to Chris. "Hopefully you paid attention," he stated. "The object for you Christopher is to disarm the pair of us, and not get hit. And you will know if you've been hit, as we know where to strike that you will feel it."

"Feel free to use your powers," Jai added with a smirk. "We'll start off easy for you," he added, as he and Damian set aside the smaller of their training swords.

"You're serious?" Chris asked in disbelief.

"Very," Damian replied. He and Jai took up fighting stances and Damian instructed Chris to start whenever he was ready. Chris considered for a moment and then flew towards Damian at speed. He saw the pair of them roll their eyes and the next thing Chris knew, he was face down on the ground gasping for air. They'd both landed kidney shots to his back as he flew in between them. "You'll live," Damian muttered darkly as he extended a hand to Chris to help him to his feet.

"Dude, that was sad," Jai added, as he hauled Chris up by his underarm. Chris rested his hands on his knees and gasped to get his breath back.

"I…thought going …for you…was the best…strategy," Chris managed to gasp out looking at Damian.

"The only smart choice you made in that entire attack," Lian stated, as she and Iris wandered over to join them.

"You gave yourself away by hovering above the ground for just a second," Jai said.

"You need to look at your opponent without looking directly at him," Lian added. "You focused on Damian and these two knew exactly what you were going to do."

"Iris, care to demonstrate for Christopher?" Damian asked, as she stretched languidly nearby.

"Sure thing," she replied, yawning sleepily. Lian tossed the small training swords to Damian and Jai and stood back with Chris. Iris scratched absently at her leg and Chris was worried that in her sleepy state, she'd end up like he did. He was wrong. Iris tore off to her left and before Chris knew what happened, Damian was on his back and Jai was grabbing his wounded shoulder and glaring at his sister. Iris dropped the four training swords at her feet and smirked.

"You're always leaving that shoulder open Jai," Iris teased her brother.

"Do over! He completely missed it," Lian snorted, jerking her head at Chris. "Focus only on what Irey's doing," she instructed. "You can follow her with your super speed. Don't worry about what Damian and Jai are doing. Just focus on Irey." Chris nodded as Iris handed the training swords back to the two boys.

"Do exactly like you did last time, only slightly slower so Christopher can follow along easier," Damian told Iris.

She nodded and this time Chris saw how she had beaten them. She had run straight at her brother but jerked towards Damian at the absolute last second and swiped his feet out from under him. She grabbed hold of the training swords as Damian began to fall and yanked them free of his grasp. As Damian was still falling, Iris turned and shot out her hand holding the longer sword to defend against a strike from Jai. She tossed both of her swords into the air to free up her hands and grabbed for Jai's sword. She whacked him with the broadside of the sword and snagged the other one. She caught the two falling swords that she'd thrown into the air and raced out of reach of her opponents. She dropped the swords and raced back to Damian to ease his landing as he hit the ground.

"Got all that?" she asked Chris, helping Damian back to his feet.

"I think so," Chris told her.

"The only thing I did differently from last time was help ease Damian's fall, rather than smack Jai's sore shoulder," she said. "For one, he was actually defending properly this time. And two…he'd stash my carbs if I hit him twice. That would make me cry," she chuckled.

"You have your breath back?" Damian asked as he retrieved the two long swords. Chris nodded. "Try again then," he instructed, tossing one of the swords to Jai. Chris was about to try a second time when Damian called out to stop. "As Lian pointed out earlier, when facing multiple targets, never focus on just one of them."

"Okay," Chris said and shook his head.

"And if you're going to fly at them, try lifting off from a running start," Iris suggested. "All flyers, I don't care who it is, when they take off, they hover. For just a second, but you do notice it."

Chris took a moment to focus at his targets and it suddenly dawned on him what Lian had meant. He focused on a space between Damian and Jai but he could still see both of them clearly. Taking Iris' words to mind, he took three running steps and took to the air. He flew for the spot between the two until veering off and grabbing Jai around the waist. Jai yelped in pain and dropped his sword. Chris immediate set him down, but Jai told him not to let go.

"I've only got one leg to stand on at the moment," Jai gasped. "Irey."

"Same one?" she asked dashing over to her brother and taking hold of his right ankle when he nodded. Chris used his x-ray vision and balked when he saw that Jai's right femur was dislocated from his hip.

"Just keep me upright," Jai told Chris. "I'll do the pulling." Chris nodded and did as instructed. Jai took a few shallow breaths and then yanked hard. Iris winced when she heard the pop of the bone going back into place. "Check it again with the x-ray thing," Jai asked through clenched teeth. Chris did and was satisfied that the bone was back in the socket. Jai took a few tentative steps and flexed slightly. "Okay," he sighed. "We're starting with the egg training until he can manage his strength," Jai stated, jerking a thumb at Chris.

"Indeed," Damian agreed. "Go and ice it," he instructed Jai who shot him a look.

"No kidding," he muttered as he hobbled inside with Iris' help.

"I'm so sorry," Chris said and Damian sighed.

"Timothy assures me that he had the same issue with Connor at one time," Damian stated. "You need to control your strength when tackling opponents. You could have easily shattered Jai's pelvic girdle."

Chris let his head hang in shame. "I know…we've been working on it…"

"Egg training," Damian stated. "I'm surprised Connor hadn't suggested it before, but it does work." Chris just nodded and Damian frowned. "Look at me when I am speaking, please." Chris looked up in surprise and Damian gave him a curt nod. "You did well enough on your second attempt, but it was foolish of Jai and I to assume that you had the type of control that Connor does. Do not dwell on the fact that Jai was injured."

"Uh, okay," Chris stammered.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I am going to go clean up my own wounds," Damian said, picking up the training swords and heading inside.

"Good one dummy," Chris sighed to himself and let his head fall back. He was startled by a small hand being placed on his shoulder.

"Relax, you'll get the hang of this soon enough," Lian offered. "And in the meantime, I get to throw eggs at you! So it isn't all bad," she added with a grin.

"Thanks…I think," Chris snorted.

"Chill out," Lian snorted as they walked towards the Tower. "With our help, you'll be taking down ninjas in no time." Chris laughed with her at that.

"Is Damian always so…serious?" Chris asked, holding the door for Lian as she stepped inside.

"He calls it formal, but yeah. That's Damian for you," Lian replied. "You'll get used to that too."

"I can't wait," Chris snorted. He didn't know where to go so he followed Lian as she wandered up to the Titan's quarters. Lian knocked on Jai's door and got a reply to come in. Chris reluctantly followed, but to his surprise, he found Jai lying comfortably in bed and Raven was tending to his hip. "I am so sorry for hurting you," he apologised. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Load's better, thanks," Jai replied. Jai saw the look on Chris' face and smirked. "Relax, this isn't the first time it's been dislocated."

"And now it is healed," Raven replied shakily as she leaned back on her haunches. Jai lifted his leg and stretched it so that his forehead touched his knee.

"All better, thanks Raven," he grinned hopping out of bed. "Oh cool, you got the scratches too," he said when he noticed that the wounds he'd sustained earlier in training were gone. She reached out a hand and Jai helped her to her feet.

"Damian was rather harsh in dealing his lesson to your shoulder," she told him.

"When isn't he?" Jai snorted.

Raven glanced to the side for a moment as she sensed something. "Irey's back and she's more cheerful than usual."

Lian grinned and grabbed Chris by the elbow. "Egg time!" she exclaimed as she dragged him away. Jai followed while Raven retired to her quarters for a while.

"What? Now?" Chris asked as he was dragged by Lian downstairs.

"Why not?" Lian enthused. Chris groaned but consented to letting Lian drag him to his fate.

Connor saw Iris with the pallets of eggs and raised an eyebrow. He saw Lian and Chris and put two and two together. "What happened?" he asked.

"Nothing major," Jai replied as he came up behind Lian and Chris.

Connor was about to ask again when Damian answered for him. "We were foolish and assumed Christopher had similar control over his strength as you do. Jai's leg was dislocated again, but obviously it has been tended to. So we have decided that to avoid further injuries during training, Christopher must first learn to control his strength…hence the eggs."

Connor winced in sympathy at Chris. "Go change because this is gonna get messy." Chris left to change his cloths as Connor asked the teenagers to refrain from having too much fun.

"Timothy stated that training you was one of his more memorable times as a member of Young Justice," Damian pointed.

"That's because like you, Tim's a sadistic bastard," Connor snorted. "Lian, do you really have to look so happy?"

"Uh huh!" she grinned. "I get to put the family's famous deadly aim to use!"

"With the exception of the Arsenal handle, you're all Cheshire," Connor pointed out.

"I'm still an Arrow," Lian retorted. Connor just shook his head and sighed.

"Do it on the beach at least…that way it'll be easier to clean up," he instructed. The four of them headed outside and Connor told Chris where they were when he came back downstairs after changing.

"Let me guess," Chris sighed. "You throw eggs at me until I can catch them and not crush them?"

"Yeah," Lian grinned. "Get ready dude!" Lian hurled the first one that exploded the moment Chris touched it. "God damn this is fun!"

"Lian, this is an exercise in restraint," Damian told her. "Not a cheap amusement."

"Whatever batboy," Lian snorted as she tossed the second egg. Chris almost had it, but it busted as he closed his hands around it. They took turns tossing eggs at Chris until he was covered in them. By the fifth dozen he began getting the hang of catching them and not causing them to break. He had a streak of nineteen unbroken ones going before Damian decided to change the exercise.

"Iris race at him and toss one at speed." Chris groaned as Iris loaded up on eggs and ran circles around him, tossing eggs every once in a while. It took another two dozen before he got the hang of this particular part of the training. Damian decided to call it a day and suggested Chris rinse off in the ocean first.

"Really? Hadn't thought of that," he snorted before diving in and rinsing as much egg off him as he could. He surfaced and floated to shore, where Damian was waiting with his arms folded across his chest.

"If it helps," he said as Chris set down in front of him. "Connor took twice as many eggs before mastering this exercise. And he possesses telekinetic abilities, which you don't."

"Seriously?" Chris asked in stunned amazement.

"So Timothy tells me," Damian shrugged. "We'll call it a morning shall we? I want to check on some cases," he said as he turned to leave.

"This does get better right?" Chris asked the remaining trio.

"Yeah before you know it another newbie will come along," Jai said as he picked up the remaining pallets of eggs.

"And then you get to have fun with us training them how to work in this outfit," Lian added.

"I can't wait," Chris replied sarcastically.


	6. The World Will Be Ours

Firewall and Robin – The World Will Be Ours.

Christopher Kent was bored. The weather outside was horrendous enough that the bridges leading in and out of the city had been temporarily closed for public safety. Already a vehicle had been blown off the Bay Bridge, causing the temporary closures. The lounge with the big screen was off limits too, unless one was willing to risk death at the hands of Arsenal or Kid Flash. The two were cheering for a hockey game featuring their favourite teams. The Phoenix Coyotes against the Keystone Combines. Anyone with half a brain cell knew to avoid Lian and Iris when hockey was on.

They'd already exhausted themselves training in the gym that morning. Shy of finding some paint to paint the walls with and watch it dry, there was very little to do around the Tower. At least until the weather cleared. Like Chris, Jai West and Damian Wayne were also bored. The three boys had convened in the control room and Jai was cruising the net looking for anything of entertaining value, while Damian reorganised his case files into a system that made sense only to him. A news article on the BBC news site had caught Jai's eye. He laughed and asked Damian if he recalled their childhood machinations of world domination. Damian immediately perked up. Chris cocked an eyebrow at the pair of them.

"You two used to plan on taking over the world?" he asked.

"The childhood dreams of two pre pubescent boys," Damian chuckled.

"Y'know what? Jai said, plugging in his laptop to the Tower's mainframe. "I think I still have our old files," he said typing away furiously on his keyboard. "We could always tweak those for entertainment," he suggested. "Bingo!"

Chris looked up at the main screen and studied the files Jai had pulled up. "How old were you two when you cooked this up?"

"Twelve," Damian replied.

"I was eleven," was Jai's answer.

"As well thought out as this is why didn't you ever go through with it…not that I'm complaining."

"We couldn't figure out how to deal with Superman," Jai replied.

"Your foster father was the one thorn in our plans," Damian added. "We couldn't eliminate him, because that would have been counterproductive. And he's too…" Damian waved his hand in a circular motion as he tried to think of a term to use, that wouldn't offend Chris too much.

"Wholesome and American?" Jai suggested with a smirk.

"That," Damian agreed with a shudder. "He never would have cooperated with our ideals." Chris barked a laugh at the two of them.

"You two are nuts," he exclaimed. "Dad was the one thorn in your whole scheme?"

"Check it out," Jai stated, referring to the screen. "We had all the other big guns figured out."

"Except for your foster father," Damian added.

"Okay…" Chris said shaking his head. "What about the likes of Lex Luthor?" he asked.

"Tt," Damian snorted. "We had him dealt with in the beginning of our planning phase."

"Sent straight to 'Prison Camp O'," Jai smirked.

"Prison Camp O?"

"The Orlando Florida entertainment complexes of Universal and Disney primarily." Damian replied.

"Wh…wha?" Chris gaped at them. "Were you two drinking the special kool aid or something?" he asked in bewilderment.

"Observe," Jai stated, pulling up a file. "Prison Camp O – D Camp."

"Lex Luthor, George W. Bush, Robert Mugabe, Kim Jong Il, Vladimir Putin, Angela Merkle, Margret Thatcher? What the hell were you two on?" Chris laughed.

"World leaders and/or despots that would not benefit from retraining were sent to D-Camp, aka the Disney complex to work as attractions there." Damian stated.

"I'm especially proud of coming up with the idea that Kim Jong Il and his sons would be live actors in the Small World ride," Jai laughed. "Cattle prods would be used if they so much as hinted at shirking in their duties."

"Show him the U-Camp list," Damian added.

"Prince Charles, Stephen Spielberg, Robert Iger and other Disney executives, Bill and Miranda Gates, Bono…? No seriously…what were you two on?" Chris asked again as he read the list.

"We figured that of the two complexes, Universal kicks so much ass, that the 'activists' would be having too much fun to do their nefarious dirty work; such as suggesting that Damian and I were really bad people and leading revolutions," Jai snorted. "Keep in mind our ages when we originally cooked this up."

"And in the case of the Disney executives, it was imperative to remove them from the central base of operations of their cult," Damian added.

Chris clicked his tongue. "I've heard about the Disney is a Cult theory," he chuckled.

Damian raised an eyebrow at him. "Connor neither disapproves nor disagrees with it."

"He thinks it's the greatest thing ever," Chris laughed. "So does Mom actually."

"Which is why they are both on the list of people who will receive special considerations when we establish our new world order," Damian smirked. A small black cat jumped up into Damian's lap and demanded to be petted by her master. Damian gladly obliged and the cat curled up to nap in his lap. Chris stifled a laugh at the diabolical picture Damian presented with the cat purring in his lap. Jai glanced over and reached out to give the cat a scratch.

"Nefertiti is going to rule the roost, isn't she?" he cooed. She simply yawned at him.

Chris shook his head at the two of them and looked back up at the screen. Something caught his eye and he frowned. "What's the Themysciran Solution?" Jai and Damian both smirked.

"The Themysciran Solution is how we planned to get Wonder Woman on our side," Jai stated.

"In parts of the world where women are viewed as little more than chattel, we would appoint a Themysciran governess, who would correct the issue and empower the local female population," Damian explained.

"I can't remember who we were going to sic Artemis on," Jai frowned.

"It was a toss-up between Karzai and Ahmadinejad," Damian replied.

"Why would you want to empower part of a population?" Chris asked.

"Doubles the work force," Jai stated.

"By creating a gender equal society, we figured that would help jump start our ultimate Utopian order," Damian added. Jai pulled up a manifesto that the two had written years ago explaining their ultimate goals.

"I think I need my head examined," Chris muttered after a while.

"It all makes sense now doesn't it?" Damian encouraged. Chris nibbled at his lip as he thought about what he was reading.

"It does…now, how to get Dad to cooperate?" he murmured softly. Jai and Damian shared a devious look.

A couple of hours later, the hockey game had ended with Keystone beating Phoenix by a goal. Lian threatened to break Iris' kneecaps if she continued to gloat, as the two went in search of their teammates. They found them in the control room updating Jai and Damian's childhood world domination plans.

"They really need a new hobby," Iris muttered.

"There's an understatement," Lian agreed.


	7. The Proposal

Robin and Kid Flash – The Proposal.

_A/N: This starts during Chapter 3 of the vignettes, and picks up where that chapter ends. There's mentions of things explored in other stories I've written set in the DCU...mostly stuff about Tim and Tam. Damian's 23 in this, Irey and Jai are 22, and Lian is 21.  
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Tim Drake-Wayne leaned back at his desk and considered the file before him. It was late and Tam was away on business, so he was in no rush to return to his empty home. A knock on the door surprised him. "Come in," he called out. The door opened and Damian Wayne quietly stepped into his office. Damian closed the door behind him and turned to face his elder brother. Tim could see something was bothering Damian. "What's up?" he asked, gesturing to his brother to take a seat. Damian sat on the sofa along the far wall; he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "Damian?" Tim asked.

"When did you know?" Damian murmured in the semi dark office.

"When did I know what," Tim asked, shutting his computer down and getting up to go and sit with Damian.

"That Tamara was the one for you?" Damian specified.

Tim took several slow deep breaths as he leaned back on the sofa. "When I realised that she held my heart in her hands," he replied. Damian furrowed his brow as he considered the answer. "Is this about Irey?" Tim asked. Damian nodded.

"Yes," he admitted. "She haunts me." Tim waited, feeling that Damian was going to take his time revealing the reason he'd visited. "When she's not with me…I feel empty. Like I'm incomplete." Tim made an encouraging sound. "When we're together, I feel as though I can conquer the universe," he smirked at that. "I suppose traces of Mother's influence remain within me."

"I'd say so, if you're idea of happiness is universal domination," Tim teased. They shared a chuckle. "So when did she steal your heart?" he asked after a moment.

"I'm not certain," Damian replied solemnly.

"When did you realise she had?"

Damian smiled softly. "Six months ago at Father's summer fundraising gala."

"Jase has commented on the rare occasion that you looked pretty smitten at the gala," Tim smirked. Damian glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. Their elder brother Jason Todd hadn't stopped teasing Damian about it.

"A few days prior, we had gone to the Gotham Natural History Museum," Damian stated. "She got bored, and before I knew it, she had zipped us away to Hawai'i and a lonely beach on Kauai."

Tim laughed. "I've been best friends with a speedster for well over a decade…they tend to have impulsive streaks."

"Especially if they started their heroic careers using the moniker Impulse," Damian wryly added. Tim groaned and it was Damian's turn to chuckle. "She said that she had always wanted to enjoy her own private beach."

"So at the honeymoon capitol of the world, you decided that you were head over heels in love…okay," Tim smirked.

"Actually it was as we were looking down into one of the volcanoes on the island of Hawai'i, that I began to realise what was happening," Damian corrected. "It wasn't until after the gala that I was certain," he added.

"I won't ask," Tim said.

"I wouldn't tell you even if you had asked," Damian told him. Tim held his hand up. "I had envied you," Damian admitted, changing the subject.

"Envied?"

"For several years now, I had envied you. You and Tamara," he specified.

"Why?" Tim asked, clearly perplexed.

"The way you complement each other," Damian said. "The way you ground each other. I see you both on your way to some meeting or another and you both have this air about you, that life is but a joyous game."

"Uh…Tam and I consider board meetings, sport," Tim admitted. "Of course we look like we're having a ball when we're heading to one."

"Sport?"

"You are aware that my wife and I are completely nuts, right?" Tim asked.

"I had come to that conclusion," Damian agreed. "Considering that your idea of interior decorating includes skulls with holes hacked into them," he added with a shudder.

Tim laughed. "I loved that when you were a kid," he said. "I referred to her collection as 'Damian repellent', back then."

"An apt sobriquet," Damian admitted. "Tamara's curios aside…I do envy what you have with her."

"And you're thinking you might want a chance like that for yourself?" Tim asked. Damian nodded. "And Irey's the one you want to try it with?"

"And that terrifies me," Damian quietly admitted. "I'm twenty three years old and I have never been in a serious relationship before. I mean, Iris and I only recently established ourselves in a formal relationship, and I haven't been happier in my entire life than I have been these last few months."

"Oh…can I relate," Tim sighed.

"Which is why I came to you," Damian stated. "By the time you were my age, you were already wedded to Tamara. How were you so certain that you would both manage to make it work?"

Tim leaned back and considered the question. "Well she already knew about the night job side of things," he said. Damian nodded. "I'd had a few relationships by the time I'd met her," he paused as he considered where he wanted to go with the conversation. "A couple of them, I even considered serious."

"What was the difference with Tamara?"

"I honestly couldn't tell you," Tim admitted. "I've thought about it over the years and the only thing I can come up with, is that she and I just…fit. Like puzzle pieces or something." Damian chewed at his lower lip as Tim continued. "And you know how I felt about the possibility of ending up like Bruce or Dick. At least Dick's pulled his head out of his ass since then. Tam just felt right, so I took my chance."

"You complete each other?"

Tim nodded. "That's pretty much it." Damian reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. He opened it and handed it to Tim to look at.

"I saw it several years ago and got it," he said. "I figured that it was a worthy treasure for the woman I would eventually want to call 'wife'."

Tim held the box up against the light to better study the blue diamond solitaire inside. "No grey mask," he complimented. "You found a treasure alright," he added, handing the ring back to Damian. Damian thanked him as he returned to the ring to his pocket.

"For almost a year now, I've considered how it would look on Iris' finger," Damian said. "I rather like the picture that comes to mind."

Tim raised his eyebrows in consideration. "Seeing as you've known each other for nearly a decade now, I won't say that you're rushing into things. I will tell you though that Wally might have an issue or two with the idea," he added. "He's from Nebraska…they tend to be really old fashioned when it comes to their daughters in the Midwest."

Damian rolled his eyes. "Tell me something I don't know." He had mentioned on several occasions that he'd found Iris' father a little over protective of her, despite her proving time and again that she was quite capable of taking care of herself. "I think the only reason he agreed to allow her to take that holiday with her former classmates, is because Jai was going too."

"Holiday?" Tim asked. He wasn't aware of the West twins taking a vacation.

"Some of their former classmates suggested a trip to Florida to celebrate the five year anniversary of their graduating high school," Damian informed him. He suddenly rose to his feet and turned to face Tim. "Tell Father that I have gone to Keystone City on business."

"Whoa…just like that?" Tim asked, also getting to his feet. Damian let his head fall forward.

"I fear that if I don't do this now, I never will," he whispered.

"I understand," Tim offered softly, placing a hand on his younger brother's shoulder. "Look. I was in your shoes once, so I won't tell you anything except good luck."

"Thank you," Damian replied, as the two embraced.

Damian Wayne arrived in Keystone City several hours later and retired to a company flat that his father maintained in the city. He waited until evening, when he was fairly certain that Wally and Linda West would both be home, before heading to their house. Linda answered his knock and greeted him in genuine surprise.

"Damian, hello," she said as she ushered him inside. "Irey and Jai are in Florida at the moment," she added as she led him to the sitting room.

"I know they are," Damian replied. "I came to speak with you and your husband, if he's home."

"Okay…" Linda murmured. "Wally?" she called out. He replied that he would be down in a minute and Linda rolled her eyes. "Anything I can get you?" she offered.

"Water would be fine, thank you," he replied. Linda went to the kitchen to get him a glass of ice water. She returned just as Wally came downstairs and spotted Damian.

"Hey kiddo, the twins are in Florida," he said as he took a seat across from Damian.

"I'm aware of that," Damian replied. He thanked Linda for the water as she took a seat next to her husband. "I came here to speak with the both of you about Iris."

"Is everything okay?" Wally asked in concern.

"I assure you, everything is fine," Damian told him. He paused before deciding to get straight to the reason for his visit. "I came to ask you both for your daughter's hand in marriage."

Wally and Linda both gaped at him. "I'm sorry…you what?" Wally stammered.

"I wish to marry Iris and I've come to ask you both for your blessing."

Linda held her hands up. "I know Irey and I can get carried away with the retirement plan joke sometimes," she blurted. "But it's just that, a running joke we have to get on his nerves," she added, jerking her head towards Wally. Damian smiled softly.

"I know it is. Iris and Jai frequently assure me of that," Damian told her. "My intentions are quite serious though." Wally fell back against the sofa and looked up at the ceiling. He returned his gaze to Damian after a moment.

"How long have your intentions been serious?"

"I've been considering the idea for nearly a year now," Damian replied. Wally let his head fall back again.

"Did you talk to any of your family about this?" he asked.

"I spoke with Timothy before coming here."

"The sensible one no less," Wally muttered. "Does Bruce know?" he asked after a moment.

"Father is aware that I'm in Keystone," Damian replied. "I'm also fairly certain he has figured out why, as well." Damian took a deep breath before continuing. "My family isn't exactly known for excelling at personal relationships…of any kind." Wally barked a laugh at that. Damian waved towards Wally, conceding his point.

"Tim's the only one you talked to though?" Linda asked. Damian nodded. "What did he say?"

"We spoke about how he had made his decision to marry his wife when he was my age. He has told me in the past that he does not regret his choices either. He had feared becoming like our father and eldest brother, unable to commit to the one we truly love. We spoke for some time, but he essentially gave me his blessing and wished me luck."

"How old was Tim when he got married?" she asked.

"Twenty. Tamara was twenty two," Damian replied.

Wally sighed. "Personally I think you two are a bit young, but," he exclaimed to cut off any argument, Damian raised an eyebrow at that. "I know for a fact that your family doesn't just jump into things like this without considering every possible little thing. This also means I believe you when you say that you've considered very carefully, what you want out of coming here and asking for Irey's hand." Wally swallowed hard before speaking again. "You've known each other for a long time…and I have seen how you two are with each other. Bart tells me that you both carry on like a married couple at the Tower."

"And Jai second's that," Linda added. "I agree about the young bit," she added. "I got married at a young age and it didn't work out. But then you and Irey have seen the very best and the very worst of each other. Your lives have matured both of you far beyond what most kids your age are. And like he said…you've known each other nearly half your lives."

"I can't believe I'm going to say this," Wally sighed. "But I don't see any reason why you can't ask her."

Linda pointed at Wally. "What he said. You have my permission and my blessing." Damian sagged slightly in relief. He'd imagined this going a lot worse that it had.

"Thank you both."

"Hurt or disappoint my daughter in any way," Wally added. "And I will make god damn sure that you regret it for eternity."

"I would deserve nothing less," Damian conceded.

"Remember that you said that," Wally warned darkly.

"The only thing I can add to this is, is good luck getting Irey to let you spoil her silly with the ring," Linda laughed. Damian removed the velvet box from his pants pocket.

"I've had the ring before I even knew who I would be giving it to," he stated, handing it over to Wally and Linda to inspect.

Wally scrutinised the stone and frowned when he couldn't immediately recognise it. "What is it?"

"A five karat blue diamond," Damian replied. "I liked the rarity and exotic nature of the stone, so I bought it when I saw it a few years ago."

"Wow," Linda exclaimed. "You Wayne boys don't half ass anything do you?"

"No," Damian replied crisply.

"When do you plan on proposing?" Linda asked, handing the ring back to Damian.

"Next time I see her."

"God…I'm not ready for this," Wally groaned.

They talked for a little while longer before Damian got to his feet and thanked them again for their blessing. After vowing that he would never harm Iris, and promising to cherish her, he left. It was mid week so he called Tim to let him know that he was heading on towards San Francisco and Titan's Tower. Tim guessed by the tone of his voice that it had gone smoothly and Damian confirmed that it had. Friday afternoon rolled around and Lian was the first to arrive at the Tower. Chris wouldn't be coming that weekend due to a Lane family reunion planned for the same time. Lian and Damian knew that Iris and Jai would be flying in straight from their trip to Florida and would be in later that evening. Lian suggested some sparring practice, which Damian gladly accepted. Iris and Jai arrived at the Tower just after six in the evening. Lian and Damian had been waiting for them in the control room to hear how their trip had been.

"I gotcha something," Iris grinned as she handed over a plush fox in a Robin Hood outfit to Lian.

"Aww, he's adorable!" Lian gushed as she cuddled the toy to her chest.

Jai watched the two girls for a moment before rolling his eyes and shaking his head. Turning to Damian he smirked. "We were right…Disney is a cult," he chuckled.

Damian snorted. "Any organisation that requires one to be that perpetually happy has to have sinister motives."

"I can't believe you guys actually set foot in Disneyworld," Lian snorted.

"It wasn't our choice, but the majority of our buds wanted to, so we caved and the Magic Kingdom was the first stop on the trip," Iris said, rolling her eyes. "Universal made up for it though," she added with a waggle of her eyebrows.

"Really?" Lian grinned.

"You'd like it," Jai added. "You'd point out how obviously wrong everything was," he teased Damian.

To prove the point Damian remarked about a shark themed ride at the park. "There aren't enough rows of teeth in the automaton."

"Plenty enough, if you hit that ride at night," Iris countered as she wandered over towards him. She bent down and kissed his cheek, before leaning against the chair he was in. "Unfortunately, Florida is almost pure gitch, but I did find something you might like," she said as she rummaged around in her backpack. "Ah! Gotcha," she said when she found her gift for him. Damian opened it to find a handmade journal. He scrutinised the craftsmanship and thanked Iris for the gift. "There was an arts festival in Orlando that we wandered into while driving around one day."

Taking his cue from his sister, Jai tossed a small parcel to Lian who opened it and glared. "Oh no you didn't," she growled when she pulled out the bright pink glittery tee that read 'Princess'.

"Oh yes I did," he smirked as he tossed a similarly sized gift to Damian. Damian groaned when he pulled out a black tee emblazoned with 'grumpy' on it, above a picture of the dwarf.

"You are totally hopeless," Lian snorted as she held her tee up against her torso.

"Irey called it man…that whole state is pure gitch," Jai confessed. "So I just went the gag route with the presents, because there was no way in hell I'd find anything halfway decent." He suddenly snapped his fingers and grinned. "But! I do have a funny for you." Iris started laughing as Jai began telling Lian and Damian about how he'd been kicked out of the Magic Kingdom. Iris picked up the story after he finished explaining how he'd been roughly escorted from the park.

"So the stupid ride finally starts up again and I am finally out of 'It's a Small World After All' hell, when these two pastel coloured security guards come over and inform us that our 'friend' has been escorted from the premises and will be waiting for us outside the main gate," she explained. "We were going to continue screwing around for a while and make him wait, but then he hacked the sound system…and let's just say that the tune was not exactly family friendly." Jai beamed with pride as the others howled in laughter.

"You are my new hero," Lian laughed, throwing her arms around Jai's neck and planting a kiss on his cheek.

"The only reason either of us even agreed to go on the damn thing in the first place, was so we could get this one chick to shut up about it already," Jai said. "I wasn't expecting it to get stuck."

"What did you change the music to?" Lian asked.

"I was gonna put Nine Inch Nails' Heresy on, but it is family oriented, so I went with the Happy Happy Joy Joy song instead," Jai laughed.

"Why would you even hack it in the first place?" Damian asked, shaking his head.

"Dude, you don't wanna know how badly they butchered your maternal heritage," he told Damian. "Let alone ours," he added for Lian. "And by ours, I mean Asian."

"So you hacked the music system after being escorted from the park," Damian snorted.

"Sanity needed to be saved," Jai nodded solemnly.

"Or completely ruined," Lian snorted.

"Besides, I was dealing with a wicked hang over and the Magic Kingdom is not the place you want to be when you're as messed up as I was," Jai added with a shudder.

They continued to chat for another hour or so before Damian excused himself to head to the roof. Iris followed and Jai would occasionally look over his shoulder as he caught up on what had happened while he and Iris had been on their trip. Damian smirked in the dark when he heard Iris coming up behind him. She sat down on the edge of the roof next to him and sat in companionable silence with him for a while. "Do anything interesting this week?" she asked after a while.

"I went to Keystone City to visit with your parents," he replied.

"What the hell for?" Iris asked in bewilderment.

"I was curious if they would consent to me presenting you with something," he said, getting the small ring box out from his belt and handing it to her.

"Why would they care…oh my god is this what I think it is?" she stated when she saw the ring.

"Care to make your mother's retirement plan a reality?" Damian asked. Iris responded by pushing him back onto the roof and straddling his lap. She then proceeded to kiss him thoroughly for an answer.

In the control room, Lian noticed Jai's distraction and narrowed her eyes at him. "Okay, what's up?" she demanded.

"I got a call from Mom yesterday," Jai replied. "Damian was at the house earlier this week and asked for Irey's hand in marriage." Lian gaped.

"He what?" she yelped. "Get out of the way," she said as she rushed over to take his spot at the computer. Jai didn't move fast enough and Lian snorted as she fell into his lap and pulled up the security cameras. She found them on the roof and her hands shot to her mouth in excitement. "I think she said yes!" Lian was bouncing in joy as she watched the screen.

"Lian," Jai grunted. "I hate to tell you this, but your ass is bony," he added, grabbing her by the waist and moving her further down his lap. "And I really don't need to see my sister making out with Damian Wayne thanks." He reached around her and changed the view back to an interior one.

"Oh boy," Bart Allen sighed when he entered the control room with Tim. "Roy's going to pump your corpse full of lead if he ever finds out about this Jai." Tim snickered beside him. Lian leapt up and ran to hug Bart and Tim. Jai sagged in the chair and groaned in pain.

"Damian proposed to Irey and I think she said yes!" Lian exclaimed excitedly.

"What?" Bart gaped.

"That was quick," Tim remarked.

"You knew?" Lian, Bart, and Jai all turned to look at him.

Tim nodded. "He came to me first to ask if he was crazy for thinking about it."

"I'm wondering if your parents know," Bart said, looking at Jai.

"Mom and Dad already gave him their blessing," Jai informed his cousin. "Mom called and told me that he'd shown up at the house and formally asked for her hand in marriage."

"That explains why Wally's been so out of it lately," Bart muttered as he folded his arms across his chest. "D must have had some pretty convincing arguments if Wally gave his blessing."

"Remember what I told you when I was going to propose to Tam?" Tim asked. "I said I didn't want to become like Bruce and Dick?" Bart nodded as he recalled the surprising lunchtime conversation. "Damian feels like that about Irey," Tim added. "And he wants with her what I have with Tam." Tim placed a hand on Bart's shoulder as he finished.

"We're going to be related," Bart murmured after a moment.

"Frightening, isn't it?" Tim snickered.


	8. Life In Rio Del Mar

Chris, Jai, and Lian – Just Another Day In Rio Del Mar.

_A/N: Set a few years after the last chapter. There's another one after this focusing on Damian and Irey, and then I'll attempt to get to stuff from when they were younger again…these two ideas just won't leave me alone until I write them. _

Lian Harper was humming a tune as she unlocked the door to the modest dojo she worked at in town. It was the middle of the week, so her only students would be those who had some spare time to train with her. She didn't mind that at all, as she could use the free time in between students to hone her own skills. The owner of the dojo was a very old friend of Ollie's who had known Lian her entire life. When she and Jai had settled into the small coastal town two years ago, he'd gladly taken them on as instructors. Lian went up to the office and started a pot of tea. She was just about to change when she heard the owner enter, so she went down to greet him.

Lian bowed deeply before the older Chinese man. "Morning Uncle Wai," she greeted, taking his bag for him.

"Good morning Little Willow," he smiled softly at her. "Where's your River?"

"He had to head up to San Jose for his monthly day at the office," she replied, holding the office door for Wai.

"So it will be a quiet morning then?" he teased, as he took his seat at his desk.

"Yeah, no one will be bleeding today," she laughed, pouring him a cup of tea and setting it on his desk.

"Thank you Little Willow," he said taking a sip from his cup. "How was last night?" he asked as he began looking over the books.

"Two new students came for the introductory class. One of them thought he was going to be a ninja in a week's time," she replied. "Jai humbled him real quick."

"I see," Wai murmured. "And did your River use standard martial arts or some of his assassin training to teach that lesson?"

"Pure taekwondo," Lian smirked. "Intermediary level no less."

"I see," came the reply. "Anything else of interest?"

"Andrea feels that she should be ready to test for her brown belt soon," Lian replied.

"Very good," Wai murmured. He marked a place in the books he was glancing over and looked up at her. "Would you mind doing tai chi with me this morning Little Willow?"

Lian bowed respectfully before him. "I would be honoured Uncle." She followed Wai out into the small garden he maintained at the dojo and the two began their morning exercises.

Jai West chugged the last of his coffee as he glanced over his emails. He'd been working on a new shooter game that his employers were anxious to test. Apparently he was also going to be interviewed for one of the big gaming magazines later, according to the email he was reading from his boss. He didn't mind, as it usually meant he got to fanboy with the interviewer over video games. Jai sighed, he hated having to come up to the office as it was nearly three hours away, but he did have to admit that it was nice of his employers to allow him to work from home mostly. He grabbed a demo he'd prepared for the shooter game and went in search of his supervisor.

"Hey Lacey, here's that demo I said I was bringing," he stated, placing the disc on her desk.

"I can't wait to see this," she enthused as she snatched up the disc and went over to put it into a gaming consol.

"I'm still fleshing out character and background designs, so ignore that," he told her as he accepted one of the controls from her. The demo started and he and Lacey began playing as he explained the premise behind the game.

"Where do you come up with this stuff?" Lacey asked as they shot their way through an alien horde.

"If you ask my parents, they'd say it was a hyper active imagination." They completed a few levels and Lacey set her controller aside.

"It looks great, I can't wait to see the finished product," she grinned.

"I'm meeting with an artist next week to help me flesh out designs," Jai told her. "An old friend of the family."

"What's his or her going rate?" Lacey asked, as she made a note in her files.

"The standard rate should be just fine," Jai replied. "He considers Lian's cooking a bonus."

"And his name?"

"Kyle Rayner," Jai shrugged, he was about to spell it when Lacey looked up him slack jawed.

"Kyle Rayner is a family friend?" she asked in disbelief.

"He's known my Dad since before I was born…you're familiar with him?"

"I've wanted to get him on our payroll for years!" Lacey exclaimed. "He did some work years ago for Saga Entertainment, and I loved it!"

Jai folded his arms across his chest. "I'll ask him if he's interested in regular work. Not that I can guarantee you anything." Jai did an admirable job of keeping the knowing smirk off his face. Lacey didn't need to know that Kyle was a Green Lantern and didn't even live on Earth anymore.

"Tell you what," Lacey considered. "Let him name his price for the work you're hiring him for, and see if you can talk him into doing some more work for us."

"Will do, Boss Lady," Jai saluted. Lacey glanced at the time on her computer screen.

"The guy from Game Fiend will be here in a bit," she said. "Why not take off after the interview so you don't have to deal with rush hour?"

"That would be most excellent!" Jai grinned giving her a deep bow. Lacey laughed and playfully told Jai to get out of her office.

Jai was going through some paperwork when a knock came on his office door. He looked up and laughed as Lacey led Chris Kent inside. "What's so funny?" she demanded as Jai got up from behind his desk.

"You work for freaking Game Fiend?" he asked Chris as the two hugged. To Lacey he added, "Chris and I have known each other for a few years now."

"Is there anyone you don't know personally?" Lacey snorted, folding her arms across her chest.

"God?" Jai replied. "But then I'm Buddhist, so that may explain why." Lacey rolled her eyes and left. "You pulled strings didn't you?" Jai teased Chris.

"Yup," he replied taking a seat at Jai's desk. "And as for your first question, I work for several media publications as a freelancer."

"You're crashing at the Tower right?" Jai asked and Chris nodded. "Go grab an overnight bag and meet me in the parking lot in…fifteen minutes," Jai said, glancing at his watch. Chris left while Jai finished up in his office. He went to tell Lacey that he and Chris would do the interview over lunch and added that he'd email her the following week with information regarding Kyle.

"Lian would kill me if I didn't bring you home," he told Chris as he went over towards his car. "You don't mind a nearly three hour drive do you?" he asked. Chris laughed.

"Lessee…taking the scenic route along the California coastline with a good pal on a mini road trip. Nah that sucks," Chris snorted as he tossed his bag into the back seat.

"I'm just checking, seeing as the West Coast is basically in the neighbourhood of New York City…for you at least," Jai replied. He kicked his flip flops off and started the car.

"You drive bare foot?" Chris asked.

"In summer I do." Jai told him. "It's that Midwest hick in me."

"That's funny," Chris teased. "Dad claims Midwest hick occasionally, but I've never seen him drive in bare feet." Jai made a snide comment about Superman being too adapted to life in Metropolis. "You sure it isn't more along the lines that you live next to prime surfing real estate?"

Jai considered this for a moment. "That could be it too." The two friends laughed as Jai got on Highway 1, heading south. "This way takes a bit longer, but the view kicks ass," he added.

Lian was in the small kitchen in the dojo preparing a light lunch for her and Wai to share. Wai was observing a student who had come in to practice for an upcoming belt test. She kept an ear out for when Wai was finished and excused the student, before locking the door. She set a low table with several dishes and place settings for two. Wai wandered in and took a deep breath. "That smells wonderful Little Willow, thank you."

"You're most welcome," she replied, pouring a glass of iced tea for him. "We had some left over kalbi from last night," she added, when he dug into the barbequed meat she had prepared. The two enjoyed their lunch and discussed things ranging from matters pertaining to the dojo, to life in general.

Jai realised as he was pulling into town that Lian wasn't expecting him until later that evening. He pulled into a small strip mall and he and Chris ordered take-out. Jai's next stop bewildered Chris a little, as Jai pulled up to the dojo. "It's closed," he pointed out.

"Unless you work here and have a key," Jai replied, holding up his key to the place.

"You work at a dojo too?" Chris asked.

"Mondays and Tuesdays, teaching taekwondo. Lian works here full time. The owner is an old friend of Ollie's," he explained as he held the door for Chris. Chris kicked his shoes off while Jai locked it behind him and had Chris follow him up to the upper level where the office and a small lounge were.

Lian glanced up when she heard footsteps. "You're…Chris!" she exclaimed when she saw him. She got up and ran over to hug him in delight while Jai set their lunch down on the table. Jai bowed deeply before Wai and introduced him to Chris.

"Chung Wai, this is a good friend of ours, Christopher Kent," he introduced. "Chris this is Wai Chung, Master of the dojo and an old family friend of the Arrow clan." Chris bowed deeply before Wai as a show of respect. Wai bowed his head and waved for Jai and Chris to have a seat.

"You are the young heir to the Superman legacy?" Wai asked and Chris boggled.

"Uhm…"

"Forgive me," Wai apologised. "I've known Ollie a long time and know about his costumed heroics, as well as these two," Wai explained. "It was an educated guess on my part."

"A very well educated guess," Chris laughed. "Sorry for seeming so surprised. I'm not used to people sussing me out…let alone so easily."

"Your loose clothing and the glasses disguise you very well," Wai admitted. "However I only know Lian to enthusiastically greet her fellow heroes as she did just now when she saw you."

"I'd argue, but you've got a point," Lian muttered. Wai chuckled softly at her and she glared right back at him.

"So young River, Little Willow tells me that you enjoyed teaching an important lesson last night to a new student," Wai said to Jai, changing the subject. Jai smirked.

"It took me a minute at most and I didn't even break a sweat, but yeah he learned some humility Uncle."

Wai saw the look on Chris' face and guessed what he was confused about. "My apologies Chris, but I refer to Lian and Jai by the literal meanings of their given names. It is an old custom I am grateful that they let me indulge in."

"Oh okay…yeah you had me confused there for a second," Chris replied. He frowned again after a moment and looked at Jai. "I thought you said Jai meant 'righteous'?"

"In Korean it does," Jai replied. "In the local dialect of Hunan province, where Uncle Wai is from, it means 'river'."

"Just as Lian means 'graceful or little willow' in most Asian dialects," Wai added.

"Ah gotcha!" Chris nodded.

"Not that I'm complaining, but what brings you out here from NYC?" Lian asked.

"I told the editor of Game Fiend magazine that I know Jai personally, when he mentioned that he was planning an interview with him," Chris replied.

"You work for Game Fiend?" Lian asked.

"I freelance for several media magazines," he replied.

"Ah…you pulled strings to take a California vacation…got it," she teased. "You plan on staying the night?" she added.

Chris nodded. "I have my overnighter in Jai's car." It was Wai's turn to look puzzled for a moment. He reached over to a small stack of magazines and flipped to a movie review he'd seen recently. He looked at the by line and held the magazine up to show Chris.

"You wrote this?" he asked, and Chris nodded. "Ah! I went and saw this movie because of your review," he smiled. "I enjoyed it quite a bit."

"I'm glad," Chris grinned. "I loved that movie personally, and loved how it was very close to the history of the subject." Wai set the magazine aside. "I very rarely receive feedback from my movie reviews, so thank you," Chris added.

"So it was all your fault that he wouldn't shut up about that flick for a week," Lian snorted, glancing up at Chris.

"It's a good movie," Chris defended. "One of the perks of my job is that I get paid to see movies before they're released to the general public," he added for Wai.

A knock on the door interrupted them and Lian excused herself to answer it. Wai glanced at the time and apologised that he had an appointment to keep. He bade Jai and Chris to finish their lunch as he went downstairs to greet his guest.

"That'll be a sensei from one of the larger dojos to discuss testing," Jai explained to Chris. "I'm hoping it's Seiji-sama. He's a riot and a half." His wish came true as Wai led an elderly Japanese man up to the lounge area. Jai got up and bowed deeply before the sensei before greeting him enthusiastically in Japanese. Chris also got up and bowed as he was introduced to Seiji before the sensei playfully insisted that they ignore him and finished their meal.

"Actually, Chris and I have work to do, so we'll see you later," Jai said, bowing again.

"It was a pleasure and an honour meeting you both," Chris added as he gave the elders one last bow.

Chris followed Jai downstairs and gave Lian a hug as Jai asked her what she had planned for dinner. When she stated that she hadn't gotten that far yet, Jai told her not to worry about it and that it would be ready when she got home. Jai and Chris stopped off at a grocery store on the way, before arriving at the modest home Jai and Lian shared. Jai directed Chris to the guest bedroom and headed out to the kitchen to grab refreshments. He and Chris went out to the back patio and Chris decided to get his interview out of the way there. An hour before Lian was due to arrive home, Jai and Chris moved into the kitchen and they started on dinner. Lian came home to find them both back out on the patio, grilling steaks and having a beer each.

"You did that sautéed potato thing right? Right, good boy," Lian said to Chris before he got a chance to answer.

"She's psychic?" Chris shrugged and Jai laughed.

"No, she's demanding," he corrected. Lian swatted him on the arm. They ate dinner outside as the evening breeze blew in from the ocean. Lian was about to go get some berries and cream from the kitchen for dessert when they heard the screeching of tyres and a loud crash.

"Dead Man's curve," Jai stated, pointing in the direction of the blind bend nearby. "We'll call it in and meet you there," he added, as Chris quickly changed into a red and blue body suit emblazoned with the Superman 'S'."

"We'll be in civvies," Lian added, as Chris flew off to assist with the accident they'd heard.

Jai called 911 and reported the accident as he and Lian raced to the scene with a first aid kit. The blind bend was just a few hundred yards and up an embankment from their home. When they got there, Chris was tearing the roof off a white car so he could easily get to the driver. Jai reported over the call that Superboy was on scene as well. "We know first aid and we can help," he told Chris. Lian winked at him and he winked back.

"Police and emergency are on the way too," Lian said as Chris examined the driver for any serious internal injuries with his x-ray vision.

"Thanks," Chris acknowledged as he carefully pulled the driver out of the wrecked car. "His spinal column is intact, but he does have internal bleeding. He also has two broken legs and a busted wrist," he added, laying the driver out on the ground. Jai and Lian tended to him as Chris checked the car to see if anyone else was inside. The highway patrol and an ambulance arrived a minute later. Chris informed the EMT's what he'd seen with his x-ray vision as they took over tending to the victim.

"Thanks Superboy," a patrol officer said to Chris after placing flares on the road. "We can take it from here.

"My pleasure. Luckily I was in the area," he replied. He waved once as he flew off towards the ocean before zipping back around to Lian and Jai's house unseen.

"Remind me to be glad you guys live nearby," the officer told Lian and Jai as he thanked them for their quick response.

"Not a problem," Lian smiled. "From the sounds of it, I'd say speed was involved…as usual," she added.

"We heard a lot of tyre screech before the crash," Jai offered.

"Okay thanks guys, that helps a lot," the officer told them. "Head on home, we'll take it from here."

Lian and Jai gave the officer a wave and headed back to their house. Chris was already back in his regular cloths when they got there. "I didn't smell alcohol," he said as Lian stashed the first aid kit just inside the back door.

"That'll be a first," she remarked, taking a seat on one of the patio chairs outside. "There's usually an accident up there every two months or so."

"People think that they can take that bend a lot faster than the posted fifteen miles per hour," Jai snorted.

"You'd have to be crazy to drive at any real speed on some of these bends," Chris exclaimed, recalling some of the white knuckle bends Jai had driven earlier that day.

Jai laughed. "Thankfully it's not the main highway, because a crash like that will have the road blocked for a while."

"Anyway," Lian piped up. "Where we were we? Oh yeah! Dessert!"

Chris decided that he definitely liked Lian's take on berries and cream, as he dug into a second helping. She crumbled up meringue biscuits into it and drizzled chocolate over the top. They retired for the evening at around eleven and Chris fell into a deep peaceful sleep to the sound of the ocean nearby. When he woke up the next day, Lian had already left for the dojo and Jai was half asleep as he poured his second cup of coffee of the day. Chris asked if they could hit the beach, which perked Jai up a bit. Chris enjoyed a second, far less eventful dinner with the couple, before thanking them for their hospitality and heading up north towards the Tower. A month later, Lian was showing Wai the interview Chris had done with Jai in Game Fiend magazine. Wai mused that he could obviously see the friendship between the two going by the banter he read.


	9. The Jordanian Project

Damian and Iris – The Jordanian Project

Raziya el Fahjand tucked a stray strand of auburn hair back into her bright blue hijab as she awoke from her snooze. She had applied at Wayne Enterprises, hoping to get a secretary job to help pay for her education in America. What the young Egyptian woman was hired as, was the personal secretary of the heads of Wayne Tech and Wayne Enterprises' foreign development branch. Damian Wayne had taken a look at her application and decided to interview her personally. She stated that she spoke six languages fluently. Damian tested her claim and was pleased to see that she had not exaggerated. Damian had shown Tim, Raziya's application and he agreed. Raziya was hired to work directly for them and their personal assistants. Iris Wayne and Tamara Drake-Wayne liked Raziya and the feeling was mutual. That had been three years ago. Raziya had graduated from college and her parents had insisted that if she enjoyed her position at Wayne Enterprises, that she should continue it. Raziya did enjoy her job quite a bit. She looked around the corporate jet and saw that her employers were also just waking up.

"Wa 'alakum as-salam Raziya," Damian greeted when he saw that she was awake.

"Wa 'alakum as-salam Mr Wayne," she greeted back.

Bruce had landed a lucrative deal to build a desalinisation plant in the Jordanian coast city of Aqaba. As his heads of Wayne Tech and the foreign business operations, Tim and Damian would be overseeing the actual ground breaking and start of construction of the project. Raziya would be coming along as she had spent her summers with her family in Aqaba while she was growing up. She would act as a guide and fixer for the trip. They landed in Aqaba at mid morning. They quickly passed through customs and were met by Ameen al Halwazi, who led them to a private limo supplied by the resort where Bruce maintained a private villa. Ameen drove them there and upon arriving, held the car door for them as they stepped out.

"Ahlan wa sahlan," Ameen greeted, as he held the front door of the villa for them. Alfred had known Ameen for years, and had recommended him to serve as a butler at the villa. He worked as a private butler in several of the resorts and was favoured by many clients who visited the region. Ameen directed them to their suites and said that he would have lunch ready for them in a little while. Damian wandered into the kitchen after Ameen and chatted with the man as he prepared their meal. "Al anesah Raziya is from…?" he politely asked.

"Cairo, Egypt," Damian replied. "Her family own a vacation home here in Aqaba, so she has local knowledge."

"I was just in Cairo Assayed Damian," Ameen stated. "A beautiful city." Damian quickly agreed with him. He glanced at the portions Ameen was making and the butler noticed this. "Dear Alfred was kind enough to inform me of Al anesah Iris' dietary needs."

"That's what I thought," Damian said. "Speaking of which…while Raziya knows of Iris' special abilities, she knows nothing of my and Timothy's night time activities."

"Alfred informed me of that as well," Ameen nodded. Damian smirked. "Shall I inform the others that lunch is ready Assayed?"

"I will," Damian said, rising from his chair.

"This looks wonderful," Iris praised as she sat at the table. Ameen thanked her and Damian suggested he join them at the table for lunch.

"Your itinerary includes the Dead Sea," he commented.

"Part of the desalinization project is to pump the brine excess up to replenish the sea," Tim stated.

"The project will start at both ends and meet in the middle," Iris added.

They finished lunch and Tam asked Raziya if she'd show her and Iris the shopping districts. Iris visibly cringed, causing the other two women to laugh. Tim and Damian had been invited to meet with a Saudi Sheik who kept a home in Aqaba. They would be with the sheik for dinner and Ameen had business to attend to that evening. The trio smirked when they heard this and planned a private pool party back at the villa for that evening. They returned from their shopping just as Tim and Damian were about to leave for their dinner meeting. Ameen had prepared dinner for the women, which they thanked him for. They ate and Iris quickly cleaned up while Tam and Raziya went to change. Iris zipped into her and Damian's room and changed into a swimsuit and was soon at the pool with Tam and Raziya.

Raziya wore a swim tee and leggings, which admittedly surprised Iris. "I have seen those burqinis, and eh no," Raziya smiled. "I am in no mood to drown. Our family's imam approved of this combination for any woman who wished to go swimming."

"Well you've seen my 'duds'," Iris replied, referring to her Flash costume. "That's a full body suit and I've had to swim out of trouble before in that."

"This sheik the boys are visiting with," Tam asked. "Have you ever heard of him?"

"Sheik Acar al Hassan is famous throughout the Middle East," Raziya explained. "He is a billionaire who builds apartment complexes that most families can afford to reside in. My father works for him occasionally."

"Damian described him as kind of a one man Habitat for Humanity," Iris added.

"I suppose you could say that," Raziya agreed. "Many of the big developers in the area frown upon his projects…but then they are building high end resorts and shopping complexes that cater to the rich."

"Yeah but those places need employees, and the employees need affordable housing," Iris smirked.

"Exactly Sheik al Hassan's thinking," Raziya stated.

They enjoyed the pool for several more hours before jet lag caught up to them and they retired for the night. Ameen had brought Tim and Damian back to the villa shortly afterwards. The following morning was the first of the two ground breakings for the project. Raziya loaned Iris and Tam hijabs to go with their outfits, when they'd made the request of her. She told the two that the gesture was not needed in Jordan, but would be appreciated. On the ride over to the ground breaking, Tim handed Raziya a business card to stash in her folder for later.

"Sheik al Hassan is interested in entering a contract with Father for one of his projects coming up in Yemen," Damian explained.

"Bruce doesn't really do real estate though," Iris pointed out.

"Nope, but he is cornering the market on home solar energy and other eco friendly technologies," Tim replied.

"Sunlight is one thing we have plenty of here," Raziya admitted.

"And Sheik al Hassan is interested in building a solar energy collection plant in Yemen," Damian smirked. "We were told that the costs involved have generally been prohibitive in the past."

"And Bruce is making it much more affordable," Tam concluded with a smirk. They arrived and Ameen held the car door for them. Since he spoke Arabic fluently, Damian would be doing the bulk of the speaking at the ceremony. After Tim made a quick speech, Damian took over.

"Ahlan wa sahlan," he greeted the crowd. He spoke about the importance of the project and how the side benefit of sending the brine to the Dead Sea would save the world heritage site from eventually disappearing. Clergy of several faiths then blessed the site and Damian and Tim, along with the heads of a building contract company accepted ceremonial shovels and dug up the first small patch at the site. Two days later they had repeated the ceremony only this time on the Jordanian side of the Dead Sea. A few extra days had been booked so that Tim and Tam, and Damian and Iris could enjoy the resort they were staying at. Raziya had flown to Cairo to visit with her family, before she would fly back to Gotham City.

It was early morning and Damian was floating in the extremely buoyant waters of the ancient sea. He felt a small wake and cracked an eye open. Iris was lazily swimming towards him. "Okay fine, the water lets you float like a feather, but damn is it pain to swim in," she said when she finally reached him.

"I really don't need to explain how the high salinity affects the water density, do I?" he teased. Iris scowled at him and he laughed.

"Let's see how buoyant this stuff really is," she muttered and before Damian could react, she jumped up and landed across his stomach, sending them both under for just a moment. Damian managed to get a firm grip on her wrist, making escape difficult as they surfaced. Iris tugged to get away from him, but he wasn't allowing it. She squealed when he tackled her around the waist and sent them both under again. "You've just declared war, Batboy!" Iris challenged when they resurfaced.

"You started it," he reminded her as he tried to get away from her wrath. While the water density made movement difficult, Iris was still a speedster, so she had the advantage over Damian. They tackled back and forth until reaching the shore, where they both fell to the sand in exhaustion.

"We really need to overdose one of the pools at the house with salt…Jesus that was a work out," Iris panted. Damian groped in the sand for her hand before finding it and bringing it to his lips.

"We could always salt the koi pond," he suggested playfully.

"Bump off my koi and I bump you off," Iris threatened darkly. "Bad enough that cat of yours goes fishing for fry in there every once in a while."

"She's only doing what she's programmed to do," Damian defended. "Besides, if we salt the koi pond, you wouldn't have to worry about Nefertiti going fishing." Iris found the energy to shove at him but he just laughed.

"I hate you," she muttered when he positioned his solid frame partially over hers.

"You seemed rather eager to say yes, when I proposed to you," he murmured, placing small kisses along her shoulder.

"It was the only way I was getting that blue diamond ring," she stated. "It is a nice ring."

"I'm glad you like it," he teased.

"Damn it," she murmured when he found the spot where her neck and shoulder met.

"You two have a room thirty feet that way, may I suggest you go and get it," Tim teased them a few minutes later.

Iris and Damian ended their kiss to glare at him. "We were enjoying a private moment until you decided to blunder in Drake," Damian growled. Tim just laughed and dived into the water. Iris smirked suddenly and Damian laughed. She waited until Tim was some ways out and floating peacefully in the water. She got to her feet and raced towards where Tim was and skidded along the surface, sending a wave of water to crash over him.

"That'll teach ya," Iris smirked as she came to a stop next to Damian. Tim quietly vowed vengeance when saw the couple high five each other.


	10. On A Whim

Whims.

_A/N: An idea I had after browsing through Wikipedia the other day. If I had the power to do it, I'd guarantee you that I would…just to know what the sensation is like._

"It's not really fair you know?" Lian said when Chris told her about an idea that had struck him.

"Oh believe me, I know that," he agreed. "People struggle and occasionally die in the attempt…where I can just fly to the top and have a look with virtually no effort."

"If that's what you want to do, who am I to stop you?" Lian shrugged. "I just think it's cheating."

"I just want to see the views from these places…that's all," Chris sighed. "I'm not about to claim some record or anything like that."

Damian Wayne had been listening to the conversation and glanced at some notes he and Tim kept. "According to this, you would actually be the first meta to reach the seven summits. None of the others have ever given it a thought…so it seems. If someone has, they haven't spoken of it."

"Seriously?" Chris asked. "I'll ask about it afterwards," he added when Damian confirmed that no meta known to date had accomplished what Chris was thinking of doing.

"So what order are you going to do them in?" Jai asked as he looked at a website about the seven summits challenge.

"McKinley, Aconcagua, Vinson Massif, Kosciuszko, Puncak Jaya, Kilimanjaro, Mont Blanc, Elbrus, and last but not least, Everest," Chris rattled off. "Oh! And on my way back from Everest, I'll make a pit stop at the top of the true tallest mountain on Earth, when measured from its base."

"Which is?" Lian asked.

"Moana Kea in Hawai'i." Chris and Damian both answered her.

"So you're hitting everything," Jai stated. "To satisfy both lists and then some huh?"

"Lists?" Lian asked as Chris nodded.

"There's two lists as to what constitutes the seven summits," Chris replied. "The Bass and Messier lists vary on Kosciuszko or Puncak Jaya. One is the tallest in Australia, where the other is the tallest in Oceania."

"Why are you doing this again?" Lian asked, shaking her head.

Chris shrugged. "A whim I guess."

"Ha!" Iris barked when she entered the room. "I'm not the only one guilty of that."

"No, you're just more prone to it," Jai countered. Iris playfully smacked his head as she asked what the whim in question was. "Chris is gonna fly around the planet and do this," Jai said, pointing to the website he'd been looking at.

"Damn that lack of oxygen at altitude thing!" Iris stated. "I'd kill myself on most of those because of the lack of oxygen, if I did the speedster version of that trip."

"That won't be a problem for me," Chris admitted.

"Although," Iris muttered. She tore out of the room and was gone for a full ten minutes before returning. "Most of them are packed at the moment," she stated. "Well Kosciuszko's always packed, because it's really easy to reach the top."

"Did you just summit them all?" Chris asked.

"No. Lack of oxygen equals dead Irey, remember?" she replied. "I just went to the bases of all of them. Except Kosciuszko, because the summit's a day hike for just about anyone."

Chris shook his head at her. "Thanks for the head's up, but I'm not going until the middle of the week, when school lets out for the summer."

"Hell, since you'll be in the area, why not hit the eight thousanders while you're at it?" Jai suggested.

"Huh?" Lian asked, reading over Jai's shoulder.

"I suppose I could do that too."

"Eight thousanders?" Iris asked.

"The fourteen mountains on the planet all over eight thousand meters tall," Jai replied. "All of which are conveniently located in the greater Himalaya range."

Chris considered this for a moment. "I suppose I could," he repeated.

"Why not?" Damian suggested. "Before another meta gets the idea and beats you to it."

"Oh see? Now you guys are just egging him on," Lian snorted.

"I could hit the North Pole before McKinley and the South Pole after Vinson Massif, that way I knock out the three poles challenge too," Chris murmured. "Yeah, get them all out of the way."

"So what's the third pole?" Iris asked.

"Everest," Chris replied. "At least for the three poles adventure challenge."

"Some challenge," Lian snorted.

"Damian's right," Chris shrugged. "Knock them all out before anyone else gets the idea."

"You're still not claiming it officially," Lian warned.

"Nope, I just want to say that I've been to the top of them all," Chris admitted. "I want to know why people risk their lives to reach them. What's the thrill?"

School finished for the year and Chris set off on his trip around the world. He told Lois where he was going and begged her not to tell Clark until he'd returned. "I don't want him or Connor for that matter, showing me up," he said. Lois rolled her eyes and wished him luck.

The North Pole was mostly loose ice pack below him as his GPS told him that he'd reached it. He took his camera out and got a few shots of the Pole, including one with the GPS to prove where he was. His next stop was the summit of Mount McKinley in Alaska. It was still early in the day and there were no climbers at the summit yet when he reached it. Again he took out the camera and got a couple of shots, and then he took out the GPS to show his location. Chris went down just a bit from the summit and picked a granite pebble up and stashed it in the pocket of the jacket he was wearing. He could see a group of climbers in the distance so he left before he was spotted by them.

It was nearing winter in the southern hemisphere as he flew over the Andes and located the second peak on his list in Argentina. There didn't appear to be any winter attempts nearing the summit of Aconcagua as he set down on the summit. Again he took out his camera and the handheld GPS unit. Chris was surprised by the striking brick red colour of the mountain as he went to collect a pebble for his collection. He'd decided before heading out that he's collect pebbles from each summit he reached on his trip. When he arrived at the southern most peak of his trip, it was pitch black out…almost. The eerie glow of the Aurora Australis flickered to the south as Chris touched down on the summit of Vinson Massif. He took several pictures of the southern lights as well as the picture of his GPS indicating where he was. He was about to give up trying to find his sample from the mountain until he found a small exposed patch of pale rock. Chris pried a small piece loose and added it to his growing collection.

At the South Pole, Chris looked up and his jaw dropped. The aurora was so bright that someone didn't really need artificial light to see where they were going. Chris took several pictures of the aurora and was about to leave before he remembered to get the shot with the GPS unit. Mount Kosciuszko in Australia was easy by any standard to reach. A World War II veteran from the ANZAC corps was there with his daughter when he landed nearby. The veteran and his daughter welcomed him with a G'day, and asked what had brought him to the highest peak in Australia. Chris told them about his trip and showed them the pictures he'd taken already. Like Lian, they admitted that he was cheating because of his Kryptonian abilities, but they wished him luck as he stooped down to pick up a pebble for his collection. Chris spied a slightly larger rock nearby and picked it up too. Patting down his jacket, he found the permanent marker stashed in one of the inner pockets and asked the veteran and his daughter if they'd sign the rock for him.

"You're bloody joking kid," the veteran laughed as he took the pen and rock from Chris.

"You're the first people I've seen on this trip," Chris told them as the veteran handed the pen and rock to his daughter.

"I figure with you it's the other way around, mate. People ask you for your autograph," the daughter admitted as she handed the signed rock over to him and returned his pen.

Chris admitted that was usually the case, but this was something that was special to him and he wanted something solid to remember it by. He asked them if he could take their picture and they gladly agreed. After several photos, Chris lifted off and bid them farewell. "Thanks again! I really appreciate that!" he called out before heading north and leaving Gary Jones and his daughter Julie to shake their heads in amazement atop Australia's tallest mountain.

Chris had read that of the seven summits on the Messier list, Puncak Jaya was by far the most technical and challenging to climb. He could see why when he was coming upon it. The pale grey rocks of the mountain were sharp and jagged from the base all the way to the summit. There were a few expeditions still gathering in the jungle far below, so he knew he would have the peak to himself for a while. Chris alighted at the peak and took his pictures for posterity. He took a few of the surrounding jungle peaking out of the clouds far below, before grabbing his pebble and heading west towards Africa. Kilimanjaro was practically on the equator, but Chris saw expanses of snow and ice covering the mountain in the distance and the sight amazed him. It was the rainy season and people avoided the climb because the copious amounts of rain made conditions treacherous. The rain was far below him and it was sunny out at the peak. He didn't need his GPS to prove that he'd reached the summit because of the broad sign that welcomed climbers to the top. He took his photos and collected a small basalt pebble for his collection.

On the top of Mont Blanc, he met a small group of climbers as they were beginning to head back down to camp. He said he was in the area and wanted a look and the climbers didn't seem to object to the ease at which he'd reached the summit. He took pictures with them and collected his pebble from further down the flank before heading east again and on towards Elbrus. This time he met a pair of brothers from South Africa who were attempting to be the first siblings to complete the seven summits challenge. As they were doing both lists, Elbrus was their seventh peak. They said that they only had Everest to go to be done. Chris asked if they had a website or something where they were recording their attempt. Adam, the elder brother, gave Chris the address, which he scribbled down on a piece of paper he found in one of the pockets.

"So mate, Elbrus isn't exactly a tourist destination for anyone not into climbing," Adam said. "What brings you out here?"

"Same reason you and your brother are here," Chris admitted.

"Seriously?" Charlie, the younger brother grinned. "You could do the summits in a day couldn't you?"

Chris glanced at his watch. "I left home five hours ago," he said and then told them everywhere he'd been so far. He pulled out his camera to show the pictures he'd taken along the way. He also showed them the rock that Gary and Julie Jones had signed for him in Australia.

"Oh rock on!" Adam cheered, patting him on the back. "Yeah you're cheating…kind of, but that you want to do it. Good for you."

"You're serious?" Chris asked. "I figured hardcore mountaineers would sneer at me for doing it," he admitted.

"Some might," Charlie told him. "But that you actually want to see these things, for yourself, and you're doing it. I reckon that counts, even if it is unofficial."

"Thanks," Chris replied. "That means a lot."

"Any other of your superhero mates ever done the summits?" Adam asked.

"As far as my teammates and I can gather, I'm the first. Unless someone has done it and hasn't said anything about it," Chris admitted.

"Oh definitely good for you then," Charlie enthused. "We'll recognise your attempt even unofficially, yeah Adam?"

"Sure," Adam smiled. "We won't mention on our site that we saw you up here, if that's okay?"

"That is actually preferred," Chris grinned. "When I was up on Mont Blanc, I just said I was in the area and figured why not. I didn't tell anyone what I was really up to."

"Yeah Blanc is where you find your hard cores training," Adam admitted.

"Is there any way you can email us your pictures when you're done?" Charlie asked. "Just so we can see them. I promise we won't share them."

"I have a Titan's email account," Chris told them after considering the request for a couple seconds. "If you get an email from lor_...that would be me."

"Tell you what," Adam said. He asked for the paper with their website on it and wrote down an email address. "Email them there. Our Mum is maintaining the main site and will see anything coming in. But that's my private one, and I'm the only one who sees what's in it."

"That I will do," Chris said, tucking the paper away. He took pictures of the summit and his GPS reading, as well as a few with the brothers. He got his small pebble for his collection when Charlie produced a silver permanent marker.

"It's all basalt rock up here, but if you don't mind, can you sign one for us?" Charlie asked.

"If you guys sign one for me," he grinned, taking the pen and a rock Adam found. They exchanged autographed rocks and Chris wished them good luck on accomplishing their dream. "I'll tell Everest that you're coming," he called out as he flew towards the Himalayas.

"Thanks yeah!" Charlie called back as he and Adam waved to him. The brothers kept true to their word and never divulged having seen Chris on Elbrus or their treasure that he'd signed for them. A few days later when they returned to their hotel, Chris had emailed all of his pictures from his trip and the two celebrated his victory with shots of whiskey in their room.

Upon arriving in the area of the Himalayas, Chris went to the tops of the smaller eight thousander peaks first. It was late in the afternoon so no one was at the top of any of them, having already descended to their camps for the night. He took pictures, including a few high aerial views of the entire range from the stratosphere, before heading for the roof of the world. Chris alighted just short of the summit of Everest and after picking up his pebble, he hiked the rest of the way to the peak. The wind was howling and it was cold. He could feel how thin the air was against his skin as he took a long steady breath. From the top of the peak, Chris called out to the winds that Adam and Charlie were on their way. Chris got his pictures before stowing the camera away safely and just absorbed where he was. The realisation of what he'd done in the span of a day suddenly hit home and he wiped at his face as a few tears froze to his cheek. Chris Kent understood why so many people had dared to dream of standing where he was at that moment. He offered a silent prayer to any gods listening and thanked them for their beautiful and awe inspiring gifts of nature. He also wished the souls of those who didn't survive their dream, peace in the hereafter. That was when he began hearing the faint traces of a heartbeat.

Chris looked up and glanced around, straining to hear the sound again and hoping that it wasn't the altitude getting to him. He did hear it again and it sounded thready. He turned to the direction the sound was coming from and stared hard down below. That's when he saw signs of a bivouac and that someone was inside. He flew down to take a closer look and could hear the gasping breath of someone struggling to stay alive. Chris didn't pause to think as he stooped down to look inside, only to find a seriously wounded climber. "I can help you," he said as he carefully peeled back the shelter to get to the climber. He swore when he saw the poor shape the climber was in and realised that he'd been left for dead by other climbers. He understood the why, as it was virtually impossible to get a helicopter up that high and a rescue on foot would endanger everyone involved. He still didn't like it though. Carefully, Chris picked the climber up into his arms and headed towards the capitol of Nepal. He flew low and slow so as not to traumatise the climber anymore and so that he could breathe easier in the thicker atmosphere. Chris spotted a hospital and landed on the roof, where he saw some doctors taking a break.

"He needs help, he was hurt on Sagarmāthā," Chris said, using the local name for Everest. One of the doctors who had been stunned by his sudden arrival directed Chris to follow him with the climber. The doctor led them to the emergency centre of the hospital and had Chris lay the climber down on one of the beds. Doctors and nurses began to swarm when the doctor called out in Nepalese that they had a patient from the mountain. A nurse who spoke broken English came out from behind the curtain a little while later to thank Chris for saving the man's life.

"He English," she said, holding up the passport they'd found on him.

"Will he be okay?" Chris asked.

"He bad, but he live," she promised. "We good care…we take good care," she corrected.

Chris put his hands together in prayer and bowed before her as he thanked her and asked that she extend that thanks to the rest of the staff. She returned the gesture before heading off to start the paperwork on the climber. As Chris was leaving he was stopped by a police officer. Chris explained that he had been in the area when he heard the heartbeat of the climber on the mountain. The officer asked about how high up the climber had been when Chris had found him and Chris balked. He had no idea, as he was intent on saving the man's life. The officer borrowed one of the hospital computers and pulled up a picture of the most popular route up Everest. Chris recognised the area where he'd found the climber and pointed to it on the picture. The officer nodded and said that the area was known as the Death Zone.

"I gathered that from the number of bodies I saw up there," Chris stated.

"Thank you. We take good care of him and alert the mountain that he is rescued," the officer replied. He put his hands together and bowed before Chris, who returned the gesture.

"Thank you. And give my thanks to the hospital staff as well," Chris said before the officer told him he was free to leave.

Chris was in a somewhat sombre mood as he flew over the Pacific towards Hawai'i. It was very early in the morning when he got there and the telescopes atop Mauna Kea were busy. He refrained from taking any flash photos of the night sky above, unless he disturb the scientists inside. Chris sat down on a large basalt rock as he awaited the sunrise. Glancing at his watch, he saw that he'd been on his trip for almost fourteen hours. The sun rose two hours later while Chris had still been thinking about his trip. He waited until it was well and truly light before taking any pictures. An astronomer wandered out of the main telescope building on a break and spotted him. She wandered over to say hi and ask what he was doing.

"Finishing a road trip of sorts," Chris replied.

"Was that trip in Nepal?" she asked. He gaped at her. "There's an AP story breaking that a stranded climber was saved by Superman from certain death on Everest."

"Yeah that would be me," he sheepishly replied. "Wait Superman?" The astronomer chuckled.

"You're pretty tall, so I could see where people would confuse Superboy for Superman," she offered. Chris just laughed.

"I guess so," he admitted after a moment. "Did the story say if the climber survived?"

"He's pretty messed up from frostbite, but they believe he'll survive," she told him.

"That's good."

She took pity on him when she saw that he seemed upset about something. "Hey, I've climbed Everest before," she said. "I did it a few years ago on a whim. I know it's tough up there…you saved that man's life."

Chris debated for a moment before telling her what he'd been doing in the area. "At the top I realised why people want so bad to achieve the summit. It's amazing up there. And then I heard the climber and it kind of smacked me with the reality of what that dream can cost."

"Believe me when I tell you that I know what you mean," she offered, taking his hand in hers. "You reach the top and you feel like you can do anything. It's on the way down that you notice the bodies of those who didn't survive the trek. It's a pretty rude awakening."

"Thanks," Chris murmured to her and gave hand a gentle squeeze.

"Hey…from somebody who did it the hard way, I don't think anything less of how you did it," she said. "You understood the dream when you reached the top."

"That means a lot to me, thank you," Chris murmured.

"So Mauna Kea…?" the astronomer asked in an attempt to change the subject.

"It's the true tallest mountain on the planet when measured from its base on the sea floor," Chris replied shyly.

"I see," she chuckled. "And the view?"

"Just as humbling and awe inspiring as all the others," he replied honestly.

"Welcome to the top of the world, Kid," she said, patting his arm. "It was nice talking to you, but I have to go," she added shortly afterwards.

"You too, thanks," Chris replied before she headed back into one of the telescope buildings. Chris took a few final pictures from the top and flew off.

He knew from years of listening to Connor that the local volcano goddess didn't take too kindly to people absconding with her precious lava rocks, so he didn't collect one from Mauna Kea. Instead he went down to the beach and found a small piece of coral for his collection. When he got to Titans Tower in San Francisco Bay, he found that Lian was there, reading up on the morning news.

"Apparently you saved the life of one of the world's most respected mountaineers," she said when she looked up and saw him. "Or Superman did," she teased. "One of you S shield types was in Nepal at just the right time."

"As long as he makes it, I don't care who they say saved him," Chris replied.

He went to his quarters real quick to grab his laptop and bring it back down to the control room where Lian was. As they talked, Chris downloaded all the pictures he'd taken. He linked his laptop to the main screen to show Lian his pictures and she had to admit, some of them blew her away. "Is it just me, or do the Himalayas look unimpressive from that height?" she asked when she looked at the stratosphere aerial shots he'd taken.

"It's a weird sensation," he replied. "From that high up they look like ant hills. But stand on the top of any one of those peaks, and you can't begin to wrap your brain around just how big they are."

"So the eternal lesson astronauts preach about us mere mortals just being insignificant specks is true?" Lian teased.

"This mere mortal was humbled," Chris chuckled.

A few years later, rookie freelance journalist Chris Kent was sitting in a hotel restaurant in Johannesburg, South Africa, waiting to interview a pair of brothers who had just written their names into the history books. Chris had kept in touch with the brothers and had followed their adventures as they set out to accomplish their goal of becoming the first set of siblings to attain all of the Seven Summits from both lists. Adam and Charlie Pienaar were directed to the table Chris was at by the host. Chris got to his feet and shook hands with the brothers, congratulating them on their feat of conquering the tallest peaks on Earth, together. The brothers were local heroes, so when they saw the autographed rock from Elbrus that Chris produced, Adam quickly asked in Afrikaans that they be shown to a private dining suite. The host gladly led them to a smaller room off the main dining room and ensured their privacy.

"We have a story for you mate," Adam chuckled, once they were alone. "You kind of need to keep it secret until an official announcement is made though."

"I can keep that promise," Chris assured them. "I'm trusting you with my secret after all," he added with a chuckle.

"True," Charlie admitted. "Which we will also keep to ourselves."

"We kind of made history in more ways than one," Adam suggested vaguely.

"Oh yeah?" Chris replied. He held his hand up to indicate quiet and nodded towards the kitchen where their waiter was about to join them from. They thanked the waiter and asked to be left alone for the duration.

"There was another expedition on the mountain conducting research," Charlie said.

"Just as we were about to start heading down, there was an avalanche below us that caught three climbers up in it," Adam explained. He went on to say that since he and Charlie hadn't used their oxygen that they'd brought with them just in case, they decided to help with the search and rescue of the stranded climbers.

"We found two of them, shaken but okay, but we couldn't find the third one," Charlie added.

"So we're looking around and we're already joined by this joint British, US expedition, when he spots the boots," Adam said, jerking his head towards his brother. Chris knew that whatever they were going to say next was going to blow him away.

"I go towards the boots and am about call out that I found the third climber, when I see that they're really old and attached to a mummified corpse," Charlie was grinning as he spoke. Chris guessed the rest.

"You found Irvine?" he grinned.

"He found bloody Irvine," Adam confirmed.

"And he had the camera," Charlie added.

"No way," Chris was doing his best not to shout his excitement. He knew the story of the ill fated first attempt at the summit. What the brothers had found could rewrite history.

"The expedition that joined us in the search and rescue were up there to look for him in the first place," Charlie added.

"They made us swear to keep it secret until they made the official announcement," Adam added. Chris got out his smart phone and checked but there was no official announcement. "Yeah we keep looking out for it too," Adam added.

"I have to ask," Chris gushed. "What if they can develop the pictures?"

Adam half winced, half groaned while Charlie answered the question. "We have talked about this for years," he said. "And we kind of hope that Mallory and Irvine didn't make it to the top."

"You want it to be Hillary and Norgay?" Chris asked.

"We were under British rule for a long time, and so were New Zealand and Nepal," Adam stated. "I reckon that it would be a victory for us colonies if that camera shows that they didn't make the top," he added.

"Even though New Zealand is a sports rival, you want it to be Hillary and Norgay?"

Charlie dug out his wallet and pulled out a worn New Zealand five dollar bill. "I don't have this because I'm too bloody lazy to exchange it back to Rand," he said, handing the note over to Chris to inspect. One side of the bank note had a picture of a young Sir Edmund Hillary with New Zealand's tallest peak, Aoraki, also known as Mt Cook in the background.

"I really don't want to be the devil's advocate here, but what if there's a picture of Mallory and Irvine at the summit?" Chris asked, as he handed the bank note back to Charlie.

"It's still a victory for the colonies," Charlie shrugged. "Hillary and Norgay made the summit and lived to tell the tale." Chris let out a sigh of relief and said that he felt the same way. "Hell, Sir Ed said it wouldn't matter either way. He and Tenzing were the first to make it back alive," Charlie added.

Chris raised his glass in a toast. "To Sir Ed and Tenzing," he proposed. "And everyone else who has dared to dream it," he added as they clinked glasses.

"Cheers," Adam smirked while Charlie laughed.

"You sound like you know a lot about the history behind the story," Charlie said after a moment. "Did you think of looking while you were up there? It would have been easy enough, yeah for you?"

Chris shook his head no. "I thought about when I was planning my trip and believe me the temptation was there…but it isn't a triumph I'm entitled to."

"How do you figure?" Adam asked, perplexed by Chris' answer.

Chris scratched at the back of his neck as he considered his answer. "I guess like the trip itself, it wouldn't count as much because of who and what I am. That was humanity's triumph to be had…not someone from off world who just happens to live on the planet."

"I never thought of it like that," Adam admitted.

Charlie agreed. "What he said. Although! In hindsight, thanks yeah for deciding against it," he added with a laugh.

"Not a problem. I'm kind of glad it was you two. Now, for the official reason I'm here," Chris chuckled as he changed subjects to the interview he'd been hired to do.

The Pienaar brothers eventually got back to the avalanche that led to Charlie's discovery and mentioned that while they had found two of the victims alive, the third unfortunately was never located. Chris told them that he understood the feeling and told them about the climber he'd saved when he had been there several years earlier. Adam expressed the same sombre feelings Chris had felt back then and Chris told them about the conversation he'd had with the astronomer on Mauna Kea. They thought about what the astronomer had told Chris and figured that she had a point. A week passed and Chris was still in South Africa when the official announcement of Charlie's discovery was made. This time Chris met them at their home and celebrated with them as the world speculated on whether or not the nearly century old film could be salvaged. He fired off a part two for his story back to his editor in New York, this time with the firsthand accounts of Adam and Charlie on what they felt and thought about the momentous discovery, and what it may mean for the history books.

_A/N pt 2: As a New Zealander, I do hope that the camera believed to be with the body of Andrew Irvine is found one day. And while I kind of hope that it proves once and for all that he and George Mallory did not reach the summit first, I will accept it if it indeed shows that they did. After all, Sir Ed and Tenzing are the still the first to reach the summit and live to tell the tale._


	11. Superboy

Chris – Gone

_A/N; I am basing this on a loss my family recently suffered of a very old and very dear friend. Sleep sweet Aunty June._

Metropolis never looked so good, Chris thought as he flew towards home. The weekend had been a constant battle to keep the state of California from becoming a pit of Hell on Earth. He hoped Raven would be alright, as she had endured the brunt of the fighting. He was physically and emotionally exhausted and wanted nothing better to do than sleep for a month. When he landed on the balcony of his family's apartment, he knew that his sleep would have to wait. Lois was sniffling as she talked with Clark about her dear old friend June. Chris had met June several times and fell in love with her. She was an older woman, who loved life and lived it to the fullest. He'd always referred to her as Aunty June. Sensing something was very wrong, Chris cautiously stepped inside the apartment. His heart fell when he saw the tears in Lois' eyes.

"What's wrong Mom?" he asked, hurrying to her side opposite Clark on the sofa.

"I just got a phone call," she sighed. "June had a massive heart attack and died yesterday."

"Wait…what?" Chris stammered. "She's only…"

"Eighty two," Lois finished.

"You're kidding?" Clark asked in amazement. "I thought Ma was older than June." Lois shook her head no.

"Wait. Wasn't she on that trip back home?" Chris asked.

"Yeah, she was going to leave Wellington for Australia today," Lois replied. "I guess that's not happening now," she sniffled.

"At least she was home with her family," Chris offered helplessly. Lois actually chuckled at that.

"According to her daughter, she looked fabulous too," Lois said.

She went on to explain how June had said she wasn't feeling too well and had an ambulance called to the house. The medics confirmed that she had had a mild heart attack and took her to the hospital. June's daughter went on to say that she was sitting up in bed, all dolled up as usual and looking like the Queen of the May. Clark and Chris laughed with Lois as they could easily picture the scene. "June sent Cheryl home to go get her night cream and all that sort of stuff. When Cheryl got to the house, the hospital called and said that June had taken a sudden turn for the worse." Lois paused for a moment. "When Cheryl got back to the hospital, June was already gone."

"I'm so sorry," Clark murmured.

Lois sniffled again. "Cheryl said she looked so serene, like she was just asleep."

"Is Cheryl going to let you know about any funeral arrangements?" Chris asked. Lois nodded.

"Yeah, I told her I could get to New Zealand easy enough, and would like to know the details," Lois replied. "And you two are more than welcome to come with me."

"We'll be there," Clark promised. Chris added his agreement to the statement. Lois smiled softly.

"It's funny," she said. "Cheryl thinks her mom had a premonition that something was going to happen."

"How so?"

"June left her green card back in Virginia. Like she knew she wasn't coming back," Lois replied.

Later that day, Chris called Lian to inform her that he might not be at the Tower the following weekend.

"What's wrong?" Lian asked.

"And old family friend of Mom's passed away," Chris replied. "We're heading to New Zealand for her funeral as soon as we know the details."

"I'm so sorry," Lian offered. "Did you know her at all?" she asked.

"Yeah," Chris smiled. "She's like the crazy cool grandma everyone wishes they had," he answered.

"How are you taking it?" she asked after a moment.

"I dunno," he shrugged. "I mean it bothers me that I'll never see her again, but at the same time we've been kind of laughing as Mom recalled all the fun times we had with her." Lois called out for him just then and he said that he'd be right out. "Hey, I have to go," he told Lian.

"Okay. Call me if you need to talk or anything," Lian offered before wishing him well.

"Thanks, talk to you later," he said and ended the call. He headed out into the living room where Lois was and looked at her expectantly.

"We're leaving tomorrow night for Wellington," she told him. "I pulled some strings and reminded Bruce that he owes me a favour."

Chris blinked at that. In reality Bruce Wayne hasn't hesitated in offering the family one of his private jets for the trip, when Clark had called to give him the heads up that he might be gone for a few days. When Bruce called Lois to offer his condolences, he let her feel as though she had wrangled the jet out of him. It was an eighteen hour flight, interrupted by a stopover in Hawai'i to refuel. Even in the luxurious accommodations of the plane, the flight had dragged for Clark and Chris.

Cheryl was waiting at the airport to greet them and had insisted that they stay with her. It had been a few years since Lois and Cheryl had seen each other, but Chris found it amusing that they picked up like they'd seen each other just yesterday. Cheryl had found further proof that her mother knew she was never returning to America, in June's suitcase. Clark and Chris had heard about the birthday card many times, they'd even seen it on several occasions and the unusual place of honour June had kept it at. June had loved it so much that she had framed it. Cheryl asked Lois what she wanted done with the card, and Lois insisted that it go in the casket with June.

"Hell, she's kept it for what? Twenty five years now? Let it rest with her," Lois smirked as she read the funny card one last time.

"Well considering where Mum kept it," Cheryl smirked, causing Lois to howl in laughter.

"In the bathroom on the tank of the toilet," Lois laughed. "Just goes to show what she really thought of me."

"Yet Mum insisted, it was because that was the main loo in the house and everyone could see it there," Cheryl snorted.

"Yeah right!" Lois and Cheryl both laughed. Later Cheryl insisted on taking them out to dinner and Chris learned even more about the lovely older woman he's known as Aunty June. Cheryl was touched when she heard him refer to her mother by the title.

June's funeral was lovely and filled with laughter. Lois would remark later that it was absolutely perfect for the woman she had known since she was a teenager. Later as she was laid to rest in a cemetery overlooking Cook Straight, did it finally hit Chris that June was gone.

"At least you were home," he whispered to the wind. He thought of the few times she'd tucked him in, when they'd visit her in Virginia and a smile curled the corner of his lips. "Sleep sweet Aunty June."


	12. Meet The Founders

Meet The Founders

Firewall puffed out his cheeks for lack of anything else to do. The lanky teenager before him was his father, aged around fifteen. Firewall knew the names of the other four standing with his father and he was doing his damndest to keep from laughing aloud. Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he could see Superboy and Robin choosing the silence route as he had. The choked off snicker to his left told him that his sister and Arsenal weren't caring.

"You are?" a young Dick Grayson asked.

"Robin, Arsenal, Superboy, Firewall, and Kid Flash," Damian replied, indicating himself, Lian, Chris, Jai, and Iris. "We are known collectively as the Teen Titans." The original five Teen Titans boggled at Damian's statement.

"Damn," Lian finally laughed. "Holy crap, talk about scrawny!"

"Who are you calling scrawny?" Speedy demanded. Lian lost it and leaned on Iris for support. The two girls gave in to a fit of hysterics.

Damian sighed and rubbed at his brow. "I loathe time travel," he muttered.

"We're…?"

"In the future Richard. I'm guessing roughly twenty years or there abouts," Damian replied. The original Robin gaped at him in shock having heard his real name.

"You know his name?" a teenage Wally West gaped.

"We know all your names," Superboy replied. He glanced at the West twins and Lian before deciding against informing the original Teen Titans just how well the current bunch knew the founding five standing before them. He turned when he heard Tim call into Damian's earpiece, requesting if they'd found the source of the energy spike that he'd detected.

"Yes, and we're bringing them back to the Tower," Damian replied.

"Them?" Tim asked.

"The founders," Damian coughed.

Jai smirked. "You need to lay off the Star Trek dude." Damian glared at him.

"Founders?" Tim asked over the comm.

"Grayson, West, Harper, Troy, and of Atlantis," Damian muttered. The original Teen Titans gaped in unison at Damian.

"Oh shit…"

"Exactly," Damian murmured. "We're coming in with them now." Turning to the founding five, Damian scrutinised them for a moment. "I ask that you trust us, and please come to the Tower with us."

"You guys are the Titans of the future?" Wally asked. Damian replied with a curt nod.

Dick, Roy, Wally, and Garth all turned to Donna. "I don't sense any deception from them…amusement galore," she added causing Lian and Iris to start laughing again. "But they're on the level." Her teammates decided to trust the newer Titans for the time being and followed them to a sleek ship. The flight was short and they were surprised to find Titans Tower in the middle of the San Francisco Bay.

"I guess New York got old," Roy muttered.

"That's a story our mentors can better explain," Damian informed Roy and the others.

"Since when do we allow mentors?" Wally griped.

"Since there have been several generations of Titans," Jai smirked. "In more ways than one," he added through clenched teeth.

"Several…generations? Oh boy," Dick murmured.

The ship landed and the original five Titans stepped cautiously from it. Tim, Cassie, Connor, and Bart were waiting for them along with Miss Martian. The look on her face told the others that she had confirmed the identities of their guests. "It's them," she concurred after a second. Dick scanned their faces and lingered on Connor.

"You're not Superman," he stated. Connor smirked.

"Not the one you know," he replied. "He's with the Justice League at the moment."

"And you're definitely not Uncle Barry," Wally added, staring at Bart's golden eyes.

Bart removed his cowl and grinned. "I'm his grandson." At the collected gape he laughed. "And my time travel story is even more complicated than yours."

"Wait?" Dick demanded. "Should you even be telling us any of this?"

Tim smirked and indicated M'Gann. "We can tell you everything and then some. She's a telepath."

"And considering what's bound to slip, that's probably a good thing," Jai snorted.

"Like what?" Wally demanded.

Damian rolled his eyes. "Get it out of your system." Jai smirked and shoved his hand towards Wally.

"Hi Dad!" Jai grinned. Wally's jaw dropped.

"He's my twin brother," Iris added, leaning on Jai and grinning at Wally. Wally swayed a little.

"Way to go Fleet Feet," Roy smirked.

"Don't knock it Daddy, I showed up first…way before those two," Lian smirked at Roy. Donna and Garth both folded their arms and smirked at Roy. Roy looked about as stable on his feet as Wally was.

"Please don't tell me…" Dick murmured looking at Damian.

"Hardly," Damian replied. "I'm your younger brother, as is Timothy," he stated. Tim waved at him and Dick heaved a sigh of relief.

"Batman adopts more kids?"

"I'm adopted," Tim replied.

"I'm his natural son," Damian added.

"Whoa," Dick murmured.

"Anyway," Tim interrupted. "How did you end up in the future?" he asked.

"Ask Fleet Feet," Donna replied.

"Professor Zoom," Wally answered.

"Shunted along through the speed force," Bart stated.

"Speed what?"

"Damn you have a lot to learn," Bart chuckled.

"If it is the speed force, getting them home should be easy enough, right?" Iris asked.

"Treadmill's at the museum," Bart shrugged. "I can get them home in no time flat."

"If you're going to alter our memories anyway," Garth spoke up softly. "Mind my asking what your powers are?"

"Ass kicker. Ass kicker slash detective. Ass kicker slash hacker. Kryptonian, and Speedster," Iris grinned.

"You don't have powers?" Wally asked Jai.

"I did, but they're gone," he replied. "Really long complicated story," Jai added. "But I make up for the lack of powers with martial arts and uh other skills."

"And you're not an archer," Roy said to Lian. She shrugged.

"I'm more along the lines of lethal ninja, like my Mom," Lian replied.

"I bag a ninja? Cool!" Roy grinned.

"Mom's an assassin and you're one of her favourite targets…so I wouldn't get too thrilled there." Roy's grin didn't fade a bit. "You and Mom have a complicated relationship. She's one of the bad guys."

"Why am I not surprised by that?" Dick muttered.

"Your mom?" Wally asked the twins.

"A reporter," Iris replied.

"I'd say she was completely harmless, but she's got you where it counts," Jai snickered. Iris playfully smacked her brother.

Donna glanced over at Garth and asked him what he was marvelling at. "I'm just awed that there are Titans in the future," he replied.

"You five start one hell of a legacy," Connor stated, having overheard Garth.

"You're the first of scores of Titans," Tim added.

"One of you shows up and you are instantly deferred to," Cassie added. "Despite who might be the team leader at the time."

"Titans Together can equal folks coming out of the woodwork," Bart grinned.

"There's an understatement," Lian snorted.

"I hate to be the killjoy here, but we should probably get these guys back to their own time," Tim said after a moment.

"You're right," Dick added. There was a slight hint of dejection in his voice as he said it.

"You do have a legacy to establish," Damian smirked.

Bart and M'Gann flew the original Teen Titans to the Flash Museum and the Cosmic Treadmill. Bart easily powered it up and after learning the date the five had arrived in the future from, got them back to their own time. M'Gann mind wiped them of any memories they gained while in the future causing the five of them to be rendered unconscious. Bart fired up the treadmill again and return M'Gann and himself to their present. In the past, Wally was the first to stir.

"What happened?"

"You kids okay?" Barry asked, dashing over to them.

"You disappeared," Batman stated coldly from behind Barry.

"We did?" Garth murmured as he came to. Roy, Dick, and Donna also began to wake.

"What hit us?" Roy growled, rubbing at his neck.

In the future in San Francisco, the current band of Teen Titans were laughing about their encounter with the original five.

"God damn, our dads were scrawny!" Lian laughed.

"And what is with those short pants?" Chris asked Damian. Damian merely shook his head.

"As amusing as that experience was, we do have them to thank for the team name at least," Damian chuckled.

"Here, here!" Jai agreed.

"We're so ripping Dad when we see him tomorrow," Iris howled.

"Oh hell yeah!" Jai laughed.


	13. International Incident

International Incident

_A/N: Pure random stupid idea that hit me a while back and won't go away. North Korea's ruling family amuses me to no end with their insanity._

The mission had been simple enough. Take out Doctor Light who was terrorising the Haight Ashbury neighbourhood. It hadn't taken them long and Doctor Light was in the custody of the SFPD. They knew they were being followed as they strolled along the pier towards the secret tunnel that led to Titans Island. Robin gave Superboy a minute nod and the Kryptonian grinned. He took off straight up at lightening fast speed and doubled back to nab their stalker. The man shouted in Korean as Chris flew him towards the Island. The rest of the team arrived shortly afterwards.

"That's Korean right?" Lian asked the West twins, who nodded.

"He's from the North," Iris said after listening to the man rant for a few seconds.

"Comrade Porkchop wants a piece of us?" Jai chuckled.

"Comrade Porkchop?" Damian asked, shaking his head.

"Kim Jong Un," Jai replied. "You have seen his picture right? He ain't going hungry," Jai added, referring to the despot in question. The man glared at Jai before letting loose with another tirade.

"What is he saying?" Damian asked. Iris had let her jaw drop a bit before laughing. Jai was grinning like a fool.

"No freaking way!" Jai exclaimed.

"Translation?" Damian asked in annoyance.

"As far as Comrade Porkchop is concerned, I'm public enemy number one! Rock on!" Jai cheered.

"Huh?" Lian and Chris asked in confusion. Iris laughed.

"Firewall makes no effort to hide his ethnicity," Iris stated. "It's common knowledge that he's half Korean. According to our friend here, Kim Jong Un sees that as a threat," she added.

"How is Firewall being half Korean a threat?" Damian asked in pure bewilderment.

"I inspire dissent among the North Korean populace," Jai answered as he listened to the man. "I'm not sure how, but apparently I make the Korean people look bad."

"North Korea has issues with a Korean superhero?" Chris asked, shaking his head in bewilderment. The man said something that caused Jai and Iris to howl in laughter.

"Dad owes me so much money," Jai snorted. "According to our friend here, there is only one Korean superhero. Comrade Porkchop!"

"Wow…" Lian said shaking her head. "And I thought the last Kim was deluded. This one is worse?"

Jai nodded. "Dad owes me a small fortune at this rate. I said Comrade Porkchop was a whole new level of crazy compared to his dad. But nooo…Dad said I was full of it."

"Take him to Immigration?" Chris asked, holding his captive up.

"I'll come with you to translate," Iris offered.

"Have you…?" Damian trailed off as Chris held up a small bag with everything he'd confiscated from the man.

"I'm not sure what's in the hypodermic, but I'm guessing it can't be good," Chris replied.

"What the hell is going on?" Connor asked as he and Bart arrived on the scene.

"My life is complete!" Jai laughed. "This dude was sent to assassinate me by none other than Comrade Porkchop!"

"He's an assassin and you're loving it?" Connor gaped. Bart snorted a laugh.

Jai repeated what the assassin had told them and raised his arms in triumph. "I've always wondered what they thought of me in the crazy half of Korea…now I know. Public enemy number one!"

Connor glanced at Bart. "This is a family joke, right?"

"Mmhmm. Because of their Mom, the whole Flash clan is hyper aware about the Korean situation," Bart replied.

The assassin started ranting and raving again and Damian rubbed the spot between his eyes. "Turn him in to immigration already," he muttered. "And take the dissident with you." Iris snatched up her brother as Chris lifted off with their captive.

"Kim Jong Un has it out for Jai," Lian stated, as she watched them disappear back into the city. "And Jai is thrilled with the idea."

"You have heard his impressions of the Kim's right?" Bart asked. Damian groaned as Lian nodded. "Yeah…needless to say Jai has been claiming for years that he's probably viewed in a bad light in the north. Wally has been calling him nuts about it for ages."

"Apparently Jai wasn't that off target," Damian stated.

"Wally's gonna be broke paying up this wager," Bart cackled. Damian shook his head and wandered towards the Tower complaining of a headache.

"All you Flashes are cracked," Lian chuckled.

"Not as cracked as they are apparently in North Korea," Connor countered.

"True…"


	14. Ugly Truth

Ugly Truth

_A/N: While the last chapter was pure crack, this one is more serious. This is the continuation from International Incident._

Chris Kent stood with his arms akimbo in plain sight as Jai West leaned against the table and loomed over his would be assassin. "You have a choice…tell the nice officers what they want to know and spend the rest of your life in prison here. Or keep bull shitting us and get sent home, where if you're very lucky, you'll end up in one of the work camps," he said in Korean. Iris translated for the officers what Jai and the assassin were saying. "We'll start off easy enough," Jai continued. "What is your real name?"

"You're not worthy of knowing it," the man growled. Jai smirked and whipped his wrist around, revealing a slender blade.

"Try again. I'm League of Assassins level. You're a non-starter compared to me," Jai purred. Chris and Iris assured the officers present that Jai wasn't going to harm the assassin. "What is your real name?"

"Young Pak Kim," the man replied after considering Jai for a moment.

"Wasn't so hard was it?" Jai asked. "Now where are you from?"

"Kanggye."

"That's in Chagang province," Iris relayed to the officers.

"It's the provincial capital of Chagang," Jai added in English. "Now tell me again, what your mission was," he addressed Young Pak Kim in Korean.

Iris faithfully translated the rant that Young Pak Kim started to scream at Jai. The chief officer balked as the rant continued and looked over at Jai who hadn't moved. Jai was even smirking slightly as Young Pak Kim continued to verbally rip Jai apart for daring to defy the true leader and hero of North Korea. The officer in charge asked Jai to end the interrogation for the time being. Jai shrugged and relayed the message that the interview was over for now and that Young Pak Kim was going to be put in a cell for the time being. "Don't even try to fight it. We'll just get the alien to shove you in there," Jai added, indicating Chris.

The would be assassin was led away in handcuffs and the chief officer addressed the three Titans. "According to tests, that hypodermic was filled with a mixture of bleach and acid."

Jai winced. "That would have burned."

"That's an understatement, kid," the officer huffed. Jai rapped his knuckles against his chest.

"Provided I wasn't wearing the nice bullet proof costume," he said. Iris and Chris rolled their eyes.

"We definitely have enough to hold him," the officer said. "And we have a translator coming in to verify what you told us Kid Flash."

"Understood," Iris nodded politely.

"If we need to, we can get a hold of you at Titans Tower, correct?"

"Yes sir," Chris answered.

"Okay you guys can go," the officer said, dismissing the three of them.

Outside, Chris took a hold of Jai and flew him back to the Tower as Iris raced along on the ground. Once there, they found Damian in a dark mood.

"You are taking this attempt on your life too lightly," he growled when Jai asked what the problem was.

"You'd think," Jai snorted. "We have family trapped in that shit hole."

"Our grandfather managed to flee," Iris added. "He left a pretty big family behind."

"Seriously?" Lian asked.

"Irey and I grew up with his stories of how his only wish in life is to be able to reunite with his family," Jai replied. "So yeah, I was laughing at the situation," he directed towards Damian. "But it's either laugh or go insane thinking about it."

"We've taken the laugh option," Iris said.

"So you take this attempt on your life seriously then?" Damian asked.

"I take it very seriously," Jai stated. "Part of the act from earlier was to throw the guy off…and yeah I do take pride in knowing that I'm a sore spot in Comrade Porkchop's eyes. I'm not about to lie about my background, just to appease some dictator shithead."

"I see," Damian murmured.

"See whatever you want, Dude," Jai stated, folding his arms across his chest. "In our family, we mock the situation to take the edge off of how fucked up it is. Our grandfather may never see his family again because some deluded maniac decided to shut his native country off from the rest of the world."

"Okay boys, chill out," Lian stated, standing between the two. "Go and revel in being public enemy number one in the People's Republic of Crazy," she said to Jai, dismissing him with a wave of her hand. "And you can finish your OCD case report about Doctor Light tripping out the stoners in the Haight Ashbury," she told Damian.

Damian and Jai eyed each other for a moment before Damian smirked. "How much does your father owe you for being right?" he asked. Jai howled in laughter.

"Seven hundred odd bucks, if memory serves."

"How do I get in on this action?" Lian asked Iris and Chris doubled over in laughter.


	15. Skeletons in the Closet

Skeletons in the Closet

_A/N: Thanks to lazyguy90 for unintentionally giving me the idea for the chapter title. The kids are about 13-ish in this. This is where Damian gets the idea to train Jai in Assassin 101._

"Robin stand down," the order came from across the warehouse. Damian Wayne glared over his shoulder at his elder brother before doing as he'd been ordered. The opponent he'd been dealing with lay still on the floor, bleeding from numerous hits and cuts Damian had gotten in.

"How about you, Connor, and Cassie wrap this up and I'll get the kids back to the island?" Bart suggested. Tim gave him a look and nodded.

"Have fun with D," he muttered. Bart winked.

"I think I've got this one," he said, before dashing away and rounding up the younger Titans.

Back at the Tower, Bart suggested that they get cleaned up for the evening. "Jai call in dinner and have Irey go grab it. You guys can vege with Lian in front of the TV for the night," he told them. "You can get cleaned up and meet me in the library afterwards," he added to Damian. "And don't even think of ditching me, because it'll take me no time to round you up and drag you kicking and screaming," Bart added with a wink as Damian glared at him.

Damian took precisely twenty minutes to get showered and changed. He seriously considered ignoring Bart's request to meet him in the library but decided against it. Bart Allen may have come off as a buffoon in Damian's book, but he also knew that Bart wouldn't think twice about rounding him up and humiliating him. Muttering under his breath, Damian headed for the library. He found Bart in sweats with tea and a plate of sandwiches set on the main table. Damian glanced at the book Bart was reading and cocked an eyebrow. _Agriculture__in__the__Ancient__Times._ Damian took a seat across from Bart and waited.

Bart looked up and set his book aside. "Tea?" he asked. Damian ignored him, so he took the liberty of pouring Damian a cup as well as filling his own. "I'm gonna get right to the point," Bart said as he leaned back in his chair. "You got a little carried away with the al Ghul side of your background back in the warehouse."

Damian clenched his teeth for a second before retorting. "What do you presume to know about my heritage?"

"Tim was nice enough to fill us in, and I have dealt with your mother and grandfather in the past. Fun family," Bart replied.

"You dare," Damian spat.

"Mine's a little more colourful, but yeah…I have to admit that your maternal side of the family has its moments," Bart interrupted. Damian glared so Bart continued. "I know you've read up as much as you can about us. Including Tim's notes…"

"Your distant ancestor is Professor Zoom. Boo-hoo," Damian snorted.

"My maternal grandfather…will be quite the despot in the future," Bart interrupted. "And my step-dad is Digger Harkness…the man responsible for Tim's father's death," Bart added. "Then there's Connor and the fact that he's half Lex Luthor. And poor Lian. Cheshire isn't exactly a stable role model."

"Your point?" Damian muttered.

"We live with it," Bart answered. "We don't let it take over." Damian pointed out that Bart had been ingrained with the Allen side of his family since birth, so he had no place to argue. Bart smirked as he countered the statement. "I'll give you that, but then take Lian," he smirked. "She's practically ripped off her mother's M.O. and uses that for good."

"She'll cave in eventually," Damian snorted.

"Doubt it," Bart smiled. "The Arrows might be able to give you Bats a run for the money in the dysfunctional department…but I can guarantee you that they've done and will continue to do, everything in their power to keep Lian from becoming Cheshire 2.0."

Lian looked up when Tim, Cassie, and Connor returned from the mission at the warehouse. "Where are Bart and Damian?" Tim asked, removing his cowl.

"Bart's very patiently reading Damian the riot act in the library," Iris supplied.

Tim, Cassie, and Connor all shared a baffled look before Connor snapped his fingers and pointed at the couch. "I've got the kids. Knock yourself out."

"What condition do you figure the library's in?" Cassie asked as she walked with Tim to the control room.

"I don't even want to know," he replied, pulling up the security cameras and zeroing in on the library. Tim opened an audio feed so they could hear what was going on, as Bart explained that just because half of Damian's background was criminally oriented, didn't mean that he had a free pass to exploit that in the field.

"Tim told us that your grandfather and mother have basically written you off as expendable," Bart stated. "I can relate, boy can I relate. My own grandfather is the reason I can't live in the future with my mother. He'd kill me every chance he gets, because he sees me as nothing more than a really bad mistake on my Mom's part." Damian lowered his gaze in an effort to hide the tears that threatened to spill. Bart got up and went to kneel next to the boy. "It's not the end of the world," Bart said, tentatively placing an arm around Damian's shoulders.

"Your mother loves you though," Damian murmured.

"She does," Bart admitted. "And my other grandfather does too…at least I'm assuming so. He doesn't like the idea of having his grandson from the future running at his side sometimes," he added. Damian looked up and blinked at him in confusion.

"Grandpa Barry has some major issues with my existence…in part because he didn't know about me until he returned. I told you I can relate," Bart offered gently.

"Does it hurt?" Damian asked.

"Hell yeah it hurts," Bart admitted. "I was named for the guy for crying out loud. I want nothing more than to live up to that name. Grandpa Barry doesn't make it easy though." Damian sniffled and Bart hugged his shoulders a little tighter. "All I can do is use the potential I got from both sides of my heritage to its fullest. Show Grandpa Barry, Zoom, and Grandfather Thawne that I'm better than they realise."

"That's your advice?" Damian sniffled. "Take what they've given you and be the better person with it?"

Bart shrugged. "Pretty much. Think of how Talia and Ra's could regret dismissing you if you prove to be greater than they expected?" Bart added. "I bet that'll burn them a lot more than they burned you."

"Richard says that I need an outlet to channel my assassin upbringing," Damian said after a moment.

"I think I have an idea there," Tim interrupted from the door. Damian swiped furiously at the tears in his eyes. Tim laid a hand on his shoulder as he continued. "Why not take what you know and teach Jai?"

"That could work," Bart admitted. "Jai's powerless and only has a rudimentary background in martial arts."

"Turn him into an assassin?" Damian snorted.

"I wouldn't go quite that far," Tim sighed. "But he could definitely use the defensive training. Slowly take over Jai's training from me," he suggested.

"We'll see," Damian murmured. "May I leave now? Please?"

"Yeah. There's Chinese in the lounge and I think Connor has the others watching movies," Tim answered.

"I'll pass," Damian murmured as he got up and headed for his room.

"I'll check on him later," Tim said as they watched Damian leave. "That was a pretty wicked punch you pulled," he added to Bart.

"No offense, but I figured it was the only way to get through to the kid," Bart stated, as he stood up and stretched.

"None taken," Tim shrugged. "How do you think Jai'll take to the training change?" Bart smirked.

"He'll eat it up," Bart replied. "Jai's secretly jealous of Lian and Damian's skills."

"I'll supervise it for a while yet," Tim admitted. "It'll be a while before I let Damian take over full time."

"And if he gets carried away again, I'll handle the lectures," Bart suggested.

"Deal."

Nearly a year passed before Tim felt comfortable enough to leave Jai's training to Damian unsupervised. The two boys glanced at the door as Tim walked out. "Okay, now that he's gone, what say you bring out the hardcore stuff?" Jai smirked. Damian let a small smile curl his lips.

"Prepare yourself to be truly pushed," he purred. As Bart predicted, Jai absorbed everything Damian threw at him.


	16. Babysat

Babysat.

_A/N: Pre Future Titans, where Bart is asked to babysit his kid cousins Irey and Jai. Of the kids, I confess I love Jai the most._

Wally opened the front door and welcomed his younger cousin inside. "What's with the books?" he asked as Bart dumped a heavy backpack next to the sofa. 

"College stuff," he replied. "I have some essays due next week." 

"You…go to college?" Wally stammered. "Since when?" 

"Online for now to get all my pre-requisites out of the way," Bart replied. Wally blinked in surprise. Linda came into the sitting room just then, putting her earrings on and spied Bart. 

"Thanks for coming Bart," she grinned. "Dinner's on the way and the money for it is on the kitchen counter. Jai is not to be video gaming all night. And if you can, Irey has a homework assignment that is kicking her butt…maybe give her a hand with it?" 

"Sure thing," Bart smiled. "Bed time is?" 

"Eight thirty at the absolute latest," Linda said, as she grabbed her clutch. "Wally and I will be home around eleven-ish," she added, leaning in to give him a kiss on the cheek. 

"Thanks for filling in last second for baby-sitting duty," Wally added, as he held the door for his wife. Bart gave a casual salute to the two of them and they left. 

"Irey, Jai? Where you at?" he called out as he went in search of his kid cousins. He found them in their rooms. Jai was online talking with someone and Irey was about to tear her hair out trying to figure out her homework. "Hey Irey, dinner's almost here…why don't you bring your homework downstairs and I'll help you with it after we eat." 

"Okay, thanks Bart," she replied, slamming her book shut and gathering her things to take down with her. 

"Jai, what are you doing?" he asked, leaning in Jai's doorway. 

"Plotting to take over the world," the youngster snorted. Bart smirked. 

"With whom?" 

"Damian," Jai replied. Bart blanched. The only Damian any of the Flash clan knew was Damian Wayne. 

"Yeah well call the planning quits for now. Dinner's almost here," Bart ordered. Jai groaned and ended his session with Damian before grabbing his backpack and stalking off downstairs. 

Pizza had arrived and Bart paid for it, while Irey grabbed plates and napkins from the kitchen. Jai slouched onto the sofa and began reading a book for class. Bart flopped down next to him and tore a huge chunk of pizza from his slice as he glanced at what Jai was reading. "That's actually a pretty good book," he commented. "I liked it." 

"Write the book report for me then?" Jai suggested, waggling his eyebrows. 

"Guess again," Bart snorted. 

"Well you suck," Jai muttered as he continued reading. Bart elbowed him and turned his attention to Irey. 

"So what's your problem assignment?" he asked. Irey looked like she was about to cry. 

"I have to read a whole chapter for history and write about it, but whenever I start writing, I forget what I read," she stated, chewing on her pizza slowly. 

"You're reading the chapter at speed aren't you?" Bart asked. Irey nodded. "I hate to tell you this honey, but your brain isn't wired funny like mine is," he said, putting an arm around her shoulders. Jai glanced up at the comment and smirked. 

"So Damian was right…you do have a screw loose," he teased. Bart just laughed. 

"Anyway," Bart stated. "My brain is a bit different because I can memorize everything I've ever read or seen," he explained to Irey. "I'm the only speedster that speed reading works for." 

"I have to read it like everybody else for it to stick?" Irey pouted.

"'Fraid so," Bart told her. Jai whooped on the other side of Bart and got elbowed again. "Eat your damn dinner smart guy." Jai cackled as he took a bite of pizza and continued to read. Irey glared at her brother for a full minute before finishing off her slice. Satisfied that the twins wouldn't be at each other's throats any time soon, Bart reached over for his backpack and pulled out his English book. Flipping it open to the page he'd marked, he began reading at a leisurely pace. The twins eventually noticed that he wasn't reading at speed and looked at him. 

"If you can remember everything you speed read, why are you going slow?" Jai asked. 

"I do like reading slowly on the rare occasion," Bart replied. 

The twins shook their heads and continued on with their own reading. Irey finished her chapter and began writing her paper. She muttered as she sped through her writing. She wished she had Bart's ability when it came to reading. She finished and asked him to look it over, which he did…at speed Irey noticed. She scowled when he handed it back to her and said that it was pretty good. Glancing at the clock, she saw that it nearing eight pm. She bid her brother and cousin good night and went up to take a shower before turning in for the night. Jai yawned loudly a few minutes later and closed his book. He could hear the shower running and groaned. He went up and took his shower in his parent's bathroom before turning in himself. 

Bart cleaned up from dinner and took his time before heading upstairs to make sure that the twins were sleeping. They were both out like lights as he checked in on them. Satisfied, Bart returned to the sofa and picked up his English book. The section he was reading was in Middle English and he'd found it fascinating. His mind began to drift to when he'd been an adult and spending a relaxing evening with Valerie. He wondered what she was doing now. At around ten, he called his grandmother to tell her that he would probably be coming home in the morning, he was tired and Wally and Linda weren't home yet. Leaving a note on the coffee table, he stretched out on the sofa and was soon fast asleep. 

Bart was just starting to dream when Linda and Wally came home and found him sprawled on the sofa. Wally picked up the note while Linda rearranged the blanket that had partially slid off him while he slept. The motion woke him. 

"Hey, have fun?" he asked, sitting up and stretching. 

"Yeah, thanks again for keeping an eye on those two," Linda said. 

"Since you let Aunt Iris know that you're staying the night, why don't you go crash in the spare room," Wally offered, holding up the note. 

"Yeah you don't fit on the sofa the way you used to," Linda mused. 

"You're telling me," Bart replied. He stood up and cracked his back, sagging in relief once the knots were loosened up. He informed them that the twins had gone to bed around eight and that they'd both done their homework. When Linda asked what had been bothering Irey, he smirked. "She was trying to speed read her assignment." 

"And that only works with you," Wally winced. 

"I broke it to her gently," Bart said around a yawn. "And on that note folks, I'm going to go die now," he added, shuffling towards the guest room. 

"Sweet dreams Bart," Linda offered. Bart smirked. 

"Considering the memory thing works on those too…and the one that was I just getting into when you guys got home," he smirked over his shoulder. "I will be dreaming real sweet." 

Wally shuddered as Linda laughed.


	17. Wasted Effort

Wasted Effort

_A/N: Basically stealing the idea behind the Young Justice episode; Failsafe. Seriously, if you haven't seen it yet, you NEED to watch that series. It's bloody brilliant!_

Instinct, Jai West decided was a wasted effort. What purpose was throwing your arms up across your face going to serve, if you were trying to protect yourself from alien death rays? None. Nadda. The gesture was a waste of energy that could have been used to throw yourself out of the way of the death ray in question. The light faded and Jai figured he'd open his eyes to nothing. Instead his ears told him that he'd survived. Lian's piercing scream, followed by Damian's distraught one let Jai know that he was still alive.

"Irey!"

"Iris!"

Jai blinked rapidly to restore his sight and saw that the beam had hit where his twin sister had been standing just moments ago. The yin to his yang, his other half. The one person on the planet who knew him better than anyone else could possibly dream to know him. The sunshine to his sarcasm was gone. The bleak white of the Canadian tundra began to turn red at the edge of his vision. His sister wasn't going to go un-avenged. A blue and red streak tore overhead and with a primal roar, Chris ripped the alien ship apart. The blinking icon on the underbelly told them that it had gotten a distress call out to its compatriots.

"We need to move," Damian stated coldly. Jai only nodded, as Chris alighted next to Lian and placed a comforting arm around her small shoulders.

The Justice League had allowed the Titans access to their teleporter system, and Jai entered the commands that would take them to the Tower so they could regroup. Damian hit the computers immediately and began to strategise, occasionally bouncing ideas off of one of the others.

"Now he's scaring me," Chris muttered as he watched Damian work machine like.

Jai sighed. "Dad told me once. When something bad happens that they don't like, Bats get scary cold blooded."

"Great," Chris muttered.

"The main ship is located in Metropolis," Damian stated suddenly. "I think we can take it out." He explained his plan and the remaining three Titans agreed. They teleported to the Daily Planet basement and Chris guided them to an old underground passage that would lead them ultimately to Lexcorps' main tower.

"Fuck me! Not again," Lian swore as an alien ship appeared from nowhere and lined her up in its sights. They were ambushed and Lian was the next to fall to the alien particle beams. Chris' voice was raw as he ripped the ship apart with his bare hands. He got to the cockpit and only found slick blue-ish ooze. Jai found that Chris had left enough of the computer system intact and attempted to access it.

"Recognise it?" Damian asked of the alien scrawl that popped up on Jai's holo-screen.

Jai shook his head. "Neither the League's system or ours recognise this. It's a new one." Jai fiddled a little longer before smirking suddenly. "I found something useful though," he stated and showed the other two the schematic of the building above, according to the invaders.

"Too easy," Damian stated. "Semtex here and here can bring the whole thing crashing down," he said as he pointed to two relatively easy to get to areas on the schematic.

"Take the whole nest out in the process?" Chris asked. Damian nodded.

"Chris and I provide distractions and you blow shit to smithereens," Jai stated.

"If I take out this weapons bank, that'll just add to the bang…won't it?" Chris asked, pointing to a heavily fortified area on the display.

"More than likely," Damian nodded. Jai fiddled with his minicomputer and plotted a strategy.

"Damian head for your points. Call out when you get the first one laced with explosives. Chris when D says he has that one ready, you head for the weapons bank. I'll go right up the middle and distract them…agreed?" Jai stated. Damian nodded solemnly as Chris gave a thumbs up sign.

"Go," Damian called and dashed away to the first of his two points. Chris hovered ten feet above the ground ready for his queue as Jai shot out and dodged his way through alien hordes. Damian made it undetected to his position and planted a semtex charge. "Done. Go!" Chris tore off towards the weapons bank and began tearing the armaments from their bases. One of the turrets turned and fired as Chris was aiming for it. The Kryptonian was disintegrated in a blinding flash of light. Damian and Jai met up as Damian finished planting the second lot of explosives. They'd seen Chris' demise and shared a grim nod. Damian handed Jai one of his bird-a-rangs and told him to aim for the first lot of explosives.

"On three," Jai growled.

"Three," the two teenagers stated and fired true at their targets. The explosions ripped through the alien ship and were fast approaching the position Jai and Damian had taken up. The two had enough time to share a victorious smirk before they were ripped apart along with everything else.

Jai opened his eyes and blinked. The blurry image of his father got clearer as Wally leaned over him, a concerned look marring his face. "I'm supposed to be dead?" Jai muttered as he sat up with Wally's help.

"No…thankfully," Wally said as he rubbed Jai's back.

"The exercise was to see how you five would react to a no win situation," an alien voice intoned. Jai looked over his shoulder and saw his teammates all staring at the Martian Manhunter.

"No win? We were dead regardless of our efforts?" Damian asked. J'onn J'onzz nodded in reply.

"I didn't see what happened to you two," Chris directed to Damian and Jai.

"Blown up with the bad guys," Jai replied.

"You?" Iris asked Lian.

"Zapped while sneaking into Lexcorps," Lian murmured.

"So your idea of training was to implant a false scenario into our minds and traumatise us?" Damian huffed, glaring between J'onn and his father lurking in the shadows.

"The idea was to see how you'd react to a high stress situation," Batman growled. "You all did admirably."

"For a bunch of corpses," Lian snorted.

"Arsenal, despite the odds stacked against you and the others, you all performed…" Batman was cut off.

"We ultimately failed," Damian stated.

"For the record," Jai added. "Don't even think of trying this stunt again." He had gotten off the table and moved to his sister's side. Iris' eyes widen in sudden realisation and she hugged her brother tightly. He'd seen their shared nightmare; witnessing the death of the other.

"Firewall," Batman growled.

"Let the kids digest this one for a while," Wally suggested. "Then we'll try with the evaluations."

"I concur with Flash," J'onn stated.

"Fine," Batman said. "Robin?"

"I'll return home later," Damian stated coldly. "Forgive me, but you are someone I do not wish to be around at the moment." Batman narrowed his eyes before turning and leaving alone.

"Your part in this was?" Jai asked his father. Iris elbowed him, but he didn't look away from Wally.

"Making sure you guys were alright," Wally sighed. "I found out about the idea at the last minute."

"Jai," Iris muttered when she saw the Jai was deciding if he believed their father or not. Jai turned on her and pointed a finger mere inches from her face.

"You didn't have to contend with me being dead. It was the other way around," he stated coldly. "I welcomed my own death as a result," he added. Wally and Iris gaped at Jai as he continued. "Real or not, you don't ever want to know what that's like."

"This seemed like a good idea, why?" Wally asked J'onn.

"Wasted effort if you ask me," Jai growled.


	18. X'ed Out

X'ed Out.

_Star City – Queen Household._

"C'mon Dad!" Lian huffed. "It'll be New Year's by the time you're done!"

"Lian shut up and give me five more minutes…okay?" Roy sighed as he scrutinised where he would put the last few ornaments. The tree was an eclectic mixture of ornaments that Roy placed in themed sections. The process was long and arduous as Roy swore he had a method behind his madness.

"OCD much?" Lian snorted causing Mia to bite her lip to keep from laughing. Roy glared at the pair of them over his shoulder for a moment before returning his attention to the tree. She held up the stuffed penguin wearing reindeer antlers and sighed. "You'll get up there eventually Opus." Roy shot another dirty look over his shoulder and Lian smirked. "Once Dad gets done figuring out where on a Christmas tree, Arizona goes." She easily caught the caught the heavy ceramic ornament that Roy threw at her head.

"Gotta love that Christmas spirit," Mia snorted as she took the ornament from Lian and studied it. It was a ceramic outline of Roy's home state.

In the kitchen Dinah shook her head as she listened in on the shenanigans in the living room. Looking over at Connor she smirked. "You're not going to help them?" she asked. Connor Hawke cracked an eye open from where he was meditating and smiled softly.

"Not in this lifetime," he replied, before returning to his meditation. "This is the one time I will claim religious immunity," he added.

"Smart kid," Dinah chuckled as she measured out brandy to pour in the eggnog she was mixing.

"Ever since Roy took over the tree, there's no way in hell I'd get involved in decorating the damn thing," Ollie chimed in from the stove.

"No kidding," Dinah agreed. "Oh good lord, where the hell did you get Scots bonnet peppers from?" she asked in horror as she saw Ollie dump a large handful of diced peppers into his chili.

"Some Jamaican guy set up a stall at the farmer's market. I saw them and couldn't resist," he grinned.

"We are going to die," Dinah muttered as she returned to her eggnog.

"Rastafarian?" Connor piped up. Ollie replied with a crisp 'yep'. "I'll come with you next time," he grinned, getting up from the floor. He saw the puzzled look Dinah had on her face and added that Rastafarians were vegetarians.

"Finally!" Mia crowed from the living room.

"About god damn time," Lian added.

"Just shut up and put Opus on the tree already, smart ass," Roy snorted. Dinah, Connor, and Ollie wandered in to watch as Lian hopped up on the step stool to place the tree topper on.

Mia twirled a burgundy coloured garter around her finger as Lian made sure that the plush penguin was slightly crooked atop the tree. "On a foot or an antler this year?" she asked once Lian declared that the tree topper was perfect. Lian waved her index finger up and down as she rapidly recited 'eenie minie mo' in her head.

"Antler," she said. She hopped down so Mia could take her place and hang the garter from one of the antlers on the penguin.

"Only in this house," Dinah muttered. Connor snorted a laugh beside her as the others admired the eclectic tree.

"You wouldn't want it any other way," Ollie teased before declaring that his chili was ready.

"You made extra…?" Dinah asked Connor, who nodded.

"I made sure to make extra vege enchiladas this year," he told her.

_Smallville, Kansas – Kent Farm._

Martha Kent had a bemused look on her face as the three youngsters played a heated game of 'rock, paper, scissors', to decide who would get to place the star on top of the Christmas tree. She knew they had made it a tradition between them, but for the life of her, couldn't figure out why. Kara won every year.

"Damn it!" the youngest swore when he was eliminated first.

"Christopher," Clark warned his adopted son.

"They cheated!" Chris accused, not at all admonished by his father's stern tone.

"Suck it up short fry," Connor grinned.

"Yeah, you might want to too," Kara smirked as her 'rock' beat his 'scissors'.

"Dude! Seriously?" Connor gaped as she smashed his hand with hers.

"Yeah, seriously…dude," Kara smirked. "Star please?" she added to Clark. Clark handed her the golden star and Kara lifted off from the ground to place it atop the tree.

"So much for tactics," Chris muttered darkly. He and Connor had spent nearly a month planning on ways to end Kara's winning streak.

"Yeah, no shit," Connor replied. Clark sighed. "What?" Connor asked defensively. Clark shot him a look and glanced at Chris.

"That's nothing. You should hear Lian when she gets going," Chris smirked, catching onto what Clark was implying.

Lois wandered out from the kitchen with a plate of mince pies Martha had baked earlier. "The winning streak is…?"

"Intact!" Kara chimed and high fived Lois.

"Good girl."

"Mother! That's treason!" Chris accused as Connor laughed.

"Woman," Lois stated pointing a finger to her chest. "And woman," she added, jerking her thumb towards Kara. "No treason what so ever."

"Reasoning Wonder Woman would be proud of," Connor chuckled.

"Works for me," Kara smirked as she helped herself to a pie. Connor leaned over and whispered in Chris' ear. The boy narrowed his eyes and smirked as Connor told him about his sudden plans for revenge.

"Snowball tag and you're it!" Chris yelled, punching Kara's arm and dashing off outside with Connor.

"Back field away from the house!" Martha hollered as Kara declared the two young men dead and raced after them.

"Oooh, ouch," Clark muttered as he watched them with his x-ray vision through the wall.

Lois stood up and dusted her fingers off. "Now that they're occupied, time to wrap all their stuff up," she said, heading for the bedroom upstairs.

Outside, Chris was making as many snowballs as possible and Connor was using his tactile telekinesis to hurl them at Kara. Kara was vowing to maim them horribly in several languages as she swatted the plethora of snowballs away. Kara saw an opening and took it. She blasted Connor with her heat vision, and he had to defend himself with his arms, effectively ending his attack. Kara dived towards Chris who registered that he was in danger, just a second too late. Chris took off but Kara landed a solid punch and sent him plummeting into the ground.

"Ow, there's a boulder or something down here," Chris stated as he rose out of the crater his body had made.

"That's not a boulder," Connor informed him as he used his x-ray vision to study what Chris had landed on. "That's a freaking meteorite."

"Seriously?" Kara asked, taking a look for herself.

"No. Way!" Connor grinned suddenly. "That isn't just any old meteorite, that's a frigging palasite!"

"A what?" Chris and Kara asked in unison.

"A palasite is an iron nickel meteorite with peridot crystals in it," Connor explained as he lowered down to retrieve the space rock. "Extremely rare and ridiculously valuable….provided the crystals are intact."

"What's it doing in Kansas?" Kara scoffed, as she helped Connor brush away the excess dirt.

"Kansas for some reason is loaded with meteorites," Connor told her. "The state is like one big cosmic bull's-eye."

"Whoa whoa whoa…wait?" Chris piped up. "Don't those two on that show go nuts if they find something like this?" he asked, taking a better look at the discovery.

"There are some pretty decent sized crystals in there, and they're intact," Kara said, studying the stone.

Connor waggled his eyebrows. "Since you are technically the finder of this bad boy, what do you want to do with it?" he asked Chris.

"Hold that thought," Chris stated as he hovered over the ground and scanned beneath the surface. He suddenly pointed to the north east and flew over to what he'd spotted. "Where there's one," he chimed as he dug furiously for his find. He pulled a smaller meteorite from the ground and after a closer inspection, decided that it was related to the other one they'd found. "Give that one to Grandma to do with as she pleases. This one's mine!"

The trio searched the area for a while longer but found nothing else. Clark had decided to check on them and was coming out the back door just in time to see them head into the barn. "Now what are they up to?" he murmured as he wandered towards the barn. He saw the two meteorites as Chris and Connor were cleaning them off and raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Where did you find those?"

"Back field," Chris grinned.

Kara grabbed the larger of the two and took it to the farm scale. "The big one is seventy two kilograms," she called out from the scale. She returned it to the two boys and took the smaller one away to weigh. "And the smaller one is just over three kilos." Kara held the smaller one aloft and asked Chris what he planned on doing with it.

"Cut a flat bottom and turn it into book ends," Chris grinned as he took the meteorite from her.

"Outside and preferably let Connor or Kara do it," Clark stated. "I don't want a repeat performance from last summer in here." Chris shrugged sheepishly and handed the stone over to Kara. The previous summer, Chris had tested his heat vision and nearly burned the barn down. Kara cut the stone to Chris' specifications and returned it to him. Connor asked for it for a moment and gave it an acid bath to bring out intricate details from the interior. Clark had returned to the house to fetch Lois and Martha. As the two women marvelled over the finds, the youngsters told them how they'd found the rare treasures. Martha balked a bit when Chris announced that the big one was hers. Lois said that she'd help find a good home for it, from some contacts she'd made earlier in the year. "They have a show on TV where they go out and look for these things," Lois informed Martha. Martha said she'd think about it.

_Keystone City – The West Home._

"Aunt Iris? Where do you want these potatoes?" Jai asked, having just finished peeling them.

Iris Allen looked around the full kitchen before deciding on a spot. "The island for now, Sweetie." Jai did as he had been asked and offered to cut them up for her as well.

"Here you go Kiddo," Rick Tyler smirked, handing Jai a knife.

"Thanks," Jai said and dipped a finger into the barbeque sauce Rick was working on. "Yeah…that'll kick ya in the teeth," he gasped as the spice hit him.

"Glad to hear it," Rick chuckled.

"Oh my!" Joan Garrick exclaimed suddenly when she saw the blurs outside the window. "I guess they finished up at the other houses," she added. The speedsters had decorated each other's homes and were finishing up with the West house last.

"Jenni, Irey…be careful with that tree!" Linda called out, knowing that the tree had been the girls' assignment.

"We will Mom," Irey called back. "On three?"

"I get the top, you get the bottom," Jenni grinned to her kid cousin.

"Three!" the cousins exclaimed. Jenni took flight and began the top half of the tree while Irey raced around the bottom. They decorated the Christmas tree in less than ten seconds.

"All set," Jenni stated, as she finished adjusting the angel at the top. She alighted next to where Irey was kneeling and gaped in delight when Irey turned the lights on. "They just don't do this in the future," Jenni remarked as she took a step back to admire the lit tree.

"They don't have Christmas in your time?" Irey asked in bewilderment.

"They do, but nowhere near to the scale that they do in this era," Jenni replied.

"Good thing that you're trapped here then?" Irey offered weakly.

"Great thing," Jenni assured her and gave her a hug. "I'm with my family." The front door opened as the speedsters outside had finished with the lights.

"Jai had a specific design in mind?" Jesse asked as Bart held the front door for her.

"Yup! Hey Jai, all set," he called out. Jai dashed to his computer and laughed maniacally.

"What did you do Bud?" Wally asked as his son typed furiously on a program of his design.

"Check this," he stated, and went outside.

The large extended family gathered outside on the front lawn as Jai flourished a remote control from his back pocket. "Coolest house on the block for sure," he claimed. Music began playing and the lights blinked on and off in tune with it. Bart and Rick began head banging in tune to the music.

"_For Whom the Bell Tolls_ isn't exactly festive, Bud," Wally chuckled.

"Dad…it's Metallica, c'mon!" Jai defended. "And yes, I have it programmed with traditional Christmas tunes, Mother," he added before Linda could comment.

"I didn't say anything," Linda defended. "You should do this for Halloween," she added as an afterthought.

"Rob Zombie," Bart suggested.

"Marilyn Manson," Rick added.

"Not that creative," Linda snorted.

"I no want cops being called for noise complaint," Jai teased in a bad Korean accent.

"I am not turning into my mother," Linda growled, as she smacked Jai in the back of the head.

"Thank God…ooof," Wally grunted when Linda elbowed him in the ribs.

"I hear ya with the mother in law," Rick stated. "And don't even think about it Jess. Libby has her moments."

"I'm so telling her you said that," Jesse threatened.

Rick rolled his eyes and turned to Jai. "So how long would it take you to tweak this and change the design a bit?" he asked.

"Three hours…give or take," Jai shrugged. "Why?"

Rick smirked. "I give you a hundred bucks and the music list and you can knock yourself out. Deal?"

"A pleasure doing business with you Mr Tyler," Jai grinned, shaking hands with Hourman.

"We're going to be getting the cops called on us for the noise complaints," Jesse huffed.

"Why don't we continue this inside?" Joan suggested.

"Yeah, the food isn't going to cook itself," Iris added.

It took no time at all for the kitchen to become too crowded. Linda tried first to clear everyone out, but Joan succeeded in shooing everyone into the sitting room. "I've had more practice," she smiled to Linda.

"Thank goodness," Linda sighed as she turned her attention back to the roast she was working on.

In the sitting room, Jai managed to work on the light program for Rick and Jesse's house and still join in on the game that everyone was playing. He was currently leaning back in his seat and howling in laughter as Jenni and Jesse shook their heads at Bart's idea of 'cuddly'.

"Barbed wire? Seriously?" Jesse chuckled as she set the discarded cards aside.

"It can work," Bart defended with a smirk. "That would have won with me, by the way," he added.

"And here I was beginning to think that I'd gotten the language mixed up," Jenni said as she studied her cards.

"Apples to apples is not exactly the best way to learn English," Irey snorted.

"So I see," Jenni offered. The front door opened just then and she greeted the newcomer. "Hey Grandpa."

"Hey kids…oh boy," Barry said when he spotted the word game.

"Everything alright Uncle Barry?" Wally asked. Barry sighed as he hung his coat up.

"For once I wish the chief would be wrong with his hunches," Barry replied.

"It was arson?" Bart asked. Barry nodded, as he headed for the kitchen.

The mood grew sombre as they played a few more rounds of their game, before calling it quits. Jai finished up his programming and let Rick know that it was ready. Barry returned to the sitting room just in time to hear Jai's statement and offered to help with the decoration.

"I missed out on the mass decorating earlier," he shrugged. "And I could use the distraction."

"Good, that way Max and I can claim old age and you can take our place," Jay teased. Barry shook his head as the others laughed. Max held his drink up and said that he wasn't about to break any drunk running rules.

"That's only your second one," Joan admonished as the zen guru of speed chuckled.

"I'm not about to risk it with a police officer," Max smirked.

"C'mon," Jesse sighed. "Let's go and piss off my neighbours already." She took hold of Rick and lifted off towards their home in the DC suburbs. Jenni wrapped an arm around Jai and lifted off with him as the others raced along the ground. At the house, Jai explained his design and assigned a section of it to each speedster. Inside he hooked his minicomputer up to Rick and Jesse's home one and downloaded his program.

"I just need to get to your security system," Jai told Rick.

"Dare I ask," Rick chuckled as he showed Jai where the alien system was located.

"I hooked ours up to our system so it doesn't suck the life out of our power bill," Jai smirked, as he fiddled with some controls.

"You can run this twenty four seven…"

"And not have to pay a dime to ConEd," Jai finished. "And before you ask, this doesn't even put a dent in the security system's power supply," he added.

"Hey Jai?" Irey called out from the front door. "Jesse says we're all set to offend her neighbours!"

"Be there in a sec Irey!" Jai hollered back to his sister. "You know you want to," he added to Rick when he picked a song to start with.

"Oh yeah," he laughed. He and Jai joined the others outside on the front lawn. Jai handed Jesse a small remote and let her do the honours. Jesse clicked it on and within moments, everyone was doubled over in laughter at the song choice.

"Grandma got run over by a reindeer? Really?" Wally howled.

"Ours plays this too, but to a different light pattern," Jai laughed.

"That is really clever," Barry commented, ruffling Jai's hair.

He watched with the others for a while, gladly loosing himself in the light show. They returned to Keystone City and it was dark enough for Jai to fire up the lights at the West household. Barry took a mug of hot chocolate outside to watch the lights along with Iris. He growled when his mobile buzzed in his pocket, but was delighted to find a message from his boss saying that they'd caught the arsonist. Iris leaned into him and planted a kiss on his cheek as the house twinkled in time to Jingle Bell Rock.

_Wayne Manor – Gotham City._

Damian glanced towards the table Jason was currently laid out on. The Joker had broken free of Arkham Asylum and gone on a rampage. Jason had been shot in the stomach before Batman had managed to subdue the Joker and have him sent back to Arkham.

"I swear," Jason growled as he sat up. "Give me five minutes with that maniac and we'll never have to deal with his crap again."

"You know that's not how we operate," Bruce coldly reminded him.

"Does that asshole have to plug one of those four, before you decide to look the other way?" Jason sighed. "I mean I'm totally cool with being his repeat victim at this point…but it's getting old."

"I'm inclined to give Jason his five minutes," Cassandra piped up. Bruce shot her a dark look, but she remained unfazed. ""You've been dealing with the Joker for how long now?" she asked. "It is beginning to look like you have an almost masochistic need to have that menace in your life."

Across the room, Jason whistled low as Dick winced. "Ouch, that's a bit below the belt," Dick murmured.

"Agreed," Bruce growled. "We do not kill," he reminded Cassandra.

"No," she concurred. "We just let that maniac rack up a higher body count every time he breaks free."

"Enough."

"No it isn't," Cassandra pushed. "How many known victims, Tim?"

Tim made a small noise in the back of his throat before giving her the answer. "Seven hundred and thirty two and that includes the four from this last break out." Cassandra folded her arms across her chest and glared at Bruce, while Dick, Jason, and Damian gaped at Tim. Tim shot his adopted sister a look for involving him in the first place.

"Holy…" Dick stammered.

"Shit," Jason finished.

"That's seven hundred and thirty two people, who were it not for one man, would still be alive," Cassandra stated. "How many more die before you are willing to look away for five minutes?"

"Get. Out," Bruce demanded. "All of you."

Dick helped Jason from the table and up the stairs to the manor. Damian didn't need to be told twice and raced up the stairs to assist Dick with Jason. Tim took a hold of Cassandra's elbow and knew that she was seriously considering removing it violently, before consenting and letting him lead her upstairs. Bruce sat before the crays and folded his fingers in front of his face as his mind whirled. The clock swung open and the five of them stepped from the dank of the cave into a festive wonderland. The dichotomy in the scenery startled them for a moment. "Master Jason?" Alfred exclaimed when he saw the bandages.

"Flesh wound," Jason dismissed. "Damn you're fast," he added, indicating the decorated manor.

"Practice," Alfred stated and took Damian's place at his side. "Come on. Let's get you cleaned up," he added, leading Jason away. Cassandra stalked off towards her room to be alone for a while.

"C'mon Kiddo," Dick said, ruffling Damian's hair. "Alfie has to have cookies in the kitchen."

"There's a plan," Tim said as he headed for the kitchen.

"I'll join you later," Damian said, slipping away from Dick's reach. "I desperately want a shower," he added at the crestfallen look on Dick's face. Damian retired to his room and removed his costume. He lingered in the shower for several minutes before finally turning it off. Cassandra's points kept running through his mind as he got dressed. The number Tim had given was along the lines of some of history's darkest madmen. Damian figured Dick would come looking for him soon so he decided to head for the kitchen. He found Alfred only. Tim and Dick had gone to take their own showers and turn in for the night.

"Master Damian, would you care for anything?" the elderly butler asked.

"Water will suffice," Damian replied, looking around for any sign of cookies.

"Very well," Alfred replied.

He filled a tall glass with ice and lemon and filled it with water, like Damian liked it. He placed the glass before Damian and turned to the cupboard where he'd put his cookies away. Removing the plate, he placed it before Damian who gave him a small smile of thanks. Damian took two of the baked treats and his glass and thanked Alfred before wandering out to the formal living room. The only light in the room was coming from the Christmas tree standing prominently in the corner. Damian curled up at the end of the sofa and stared up at the tree, studying the precise placement of the ornaments. He startled when Cassandra flopped down next to him some time later.

"My apologies for earlier," she murmured.

"I beg your pardon?" Damian replied, clearly perplexed.

"I shouldn't have called him out like that," Cassandra explained.

"You only said what at least three of us were thinking," Damian admitted.

She shrugged before changing the subject. "You're not Christian are you?" she asked, looking up at the star atop the tree.

He shook his head. "I wasn't brought up with religious influences."

"Neither was I," Cassandra confessed.

"I have since studied theological beliefs and have come up with a belief that works for me," Damian said after a while. Cassandra looked curious so he continued.

"So in short, you took a little bit of everything and made it into a system that suits you?" Cassandra asked when Damian finished explaining his beliefs. He nodded.

"Strangely enough, I've found that it has been the perfect temper to my own lethal upbringing," he added with a small smirk. Cassandra gave a small snort of a laugh.

"I have noticed a change since you were younger," she said after a moment. "Granted you still have your moments," she added.

"I chalk that up to the stubbornness I inherited from Father," Damian retorted.

"And I won't argue that," Jason chimed in as he came in to join them. They spied the plate of cookies Jason had with him and smirked.

"Alfred will be furious if you eat the lot," Damian pointed out.

"I have it on very good authority that there is a larger stash that has been carefully hidden," Jason grinned as he placed the plate on the table in front of the sofa.

"Dick will find them," Cassandra stated as she leaned over and grabbed a couple of cookies from the plate.

"Richard always does," Damian concurred.

"This is true," Jason smirked. "But according to Alfred, Dick won't be finding this stash. He's certain of it." Damian and Cassandra both cocked curious eyebrows at him. "He didn't tell me where he hid them," Jason confessed. "He knew I'd skank them if he did. Alfred's just certain that Dick isn't going to find this hiding spot," he added.

"This will be fun to watch," Cassandra chuckled.

The clock chimed and the three of them glanced at it to see the time. "Three thirty," Jason murmured. He sat back and looked up at the tree. "When I first moved in here, I'd be up all night staring at this thing when Alfred set it up," he confided. "I knew what Christmas was, but I never knew what it meant until just a few years ago," he added.

"That's one I never understood," Damian shrugged.

"Likewise," Cassandra agreed. Jason chuckled.

"Well seeing as how you two grew up, I can see that," he said. "A few years ago, I was down here with Tim," Jason continued. "We were up at some late ass hour looking at the tree and just talking. And it hit me…the whole family and good will to men thing," Jason murmured.

"I suppose I can see your point," Damian said after a moment.

"Maybe," Cassandra sighed. "The concept still eludes me."

"Just let it hit you," Jason said, letting his head fall to the side to look at her. "If you try and find the meaning, it will always elude you."

"So who gets to inform Richard of the secret cookie stash?" Damian asked, changing the subject. Jason and Cassandra laughed along with him.

_A/N: The Arrow Clan Christmas tree does exist...it's downstairs in my living room. lol Instead of Arizona though, we have a Hawai'i section and a Down Under one._


	19. Jai and Iris  Flight

_A/N: This one and the next one (at least) are going to be from before they were Titans._

_Jai and Irey - Flight_

Jenni Ognats found herself lost in time, and not really minding it. She was with family, nearly a thousand years in her past. Her grandparents were here, as were the majority of her living relatives…so she wouldn't exactly call her situation 'lost'. "More like found," she chuckled. Barry had come home one afternoon and proclaimed that his family needed to get away and he had the perfect idea. Camping. Iris had cocked an eyebrow at him while Bart stared at him in disbelief. Jenni shrugged at the suggestion and just went with it. Barry had managed to convince some of the extended family to get away for a weekend to a secluded lake.

Jenni watched as Bart attempted to teach Irey some tricks to use, if she was racing across water and fighting an enemy. Bart knew exactly how to get her to pay attention…get her mad. And he'd done that in under a minute when he'd drenched her through. Iris and Linda were also watching and laughing as Irey almost nailed Bart with a waterspout. Looking over at where the tents were set up, Jenni spied Irey's brother, Jai. Alone and seeming not to care what everyone was doing. Glancing at the golden ring on her finger, she smirked and headed towards her kid cousin after grabbing a pair of water cannons.

"Hey Jai, want to mess with Irey and Bart?" she asked.

"I don't have powers," he reminded her with a glare.

"Who said you needed powers?" Jenni smirked. "Load that water cannon up and I'll take care of the powers bit." Jai saw that Jenni was holding one of the water cannons out for him and was intrigued enough at her idea that he did as she had suggested. Jenni stood in front of him and turned her back to him. "Hop on," she said, crouching down so he could clamber onto her back. "Hold on tight," Jenni grinned and lifted off into the air.

"No way!" Jai whooped.

"Way," Jenni laughed. "Ready?"

Jai shifted around a bit until he could comfortably take aim at his targets and still hold onto Jenni. "Let's get em," he cackled. Jenni flew towards where Bart and Irey were trying to tag each other with water jets and Jai took aim.

"What the…?" Bart exclaimed when he was hit with a stream of water to the back of the head.

"How come Jenni and Jesse can fly and I can't?" Irey demanded, dodging a shot from her brother.

"Jen can't fly under her own power," Bart growled as he tried to think of ways to retaliate.

"She's still flying," Irey snorted. She yelped when she got hit by a blast of water from Jenni. "That's it!" Bart raced to the shore for a moment.

"Let's even the odds," Bart suddenly suggested, tossing her a water cannon and taking aim with his own. The four cousins raced across the lake surface taking shots at each other and laughing as they did.

"What the hell?" Wally muttered from the beach.

"Now that's a water fight!" Linda laughed.

"How many of those things did we bring?" Wally asked with a gleam in his eye.

"Back of the truck, Hon," Iris told him. He thanked her and dashed off to join the melee on the lake surface. "He's dead meat," Iris snorted.

"Oh yeah," Linda agreed. She could see her daughter threatening vengeance and laughed. "He's toast."

"No way I'm getting involved in that," Barry said as he sat in the sand between the two women to watch the mayhem.

For over an hour they played until the speedsters pleaded hunger and exhaustion. Jenni flopped down and leaned against a tree. She was soaked through as were the others but she didn't care a single bit. She thanked her grandmother for the sandwich Iris handed her and devoured it. Jai came over to the tree and sat down next to her. "Thanks," he said, leaning his head onto her shoulder. Jenni flung her arm around his shoulders and kissed the top of his head. When they returned home later that weekend, Wally and Linda both thanked Jenni for managing to get Jai out of his shell.


	20. La Linterna Verde

La Linterna Verde

_A/N: I recently read a bunch of Blue Beetle back issues and fell in love with Milagro Reyes. She ships Michael Carter (Booster Gold)/Ted Kord (Blue Beetle), doesn't bat an eye at her elder brother's heroics, and wants to be a Green Lantern one day….what's not to love?_

_Italics= Milagro's ring. _**Bold = Jaime's Scarab**.

Alberto, Bianca, Jaime, and Milagro Reyes all stared at the glowing green ring nestled in Milagro's palm. The sound of shattering glass had woken the family late on a Friday evening and they had all rushed to Milagro's room to find out what was going on. "_Milagro Reyes of Earth_," an ethereal voice had sounded throughout the girl's room. "_You have been chosen because of your strong will and fearless nature, to wield the power of the Green Lanterns._"

"Ay dios mio," Jaime muttered when he spotted the ring. The Scarab on his spine quickly became agitated at the ring's presence and suggested numerous ways to destroy it. "Milagro…put that thing on and explain to it that this particular scarab is broken, and not a threat," he suggested, jerking a thumb towards his back.

Milagro clicked her tongue as she focused on the ring. "That is the scarab that kicked collective Reach ass into the next universe," she murmured as she slid the ring on.

"Milagro!" Alberto and Bianca scolded her for her language.

"Well it did," Milagro shrugged.

"_Initiating scan to verify statement_," the ring sounded.

"Kadji…let the ring scan you," Jaime muttered to the Scarab. He rolled his eyes as the Scarab made noises of protest in his mind, and winced when it gripped his spine a little tighter than usual. "That kinda hurts."

"_Scan complete. Scarab designate Kadji Da – recognised by Green Lantern Guy Gardener as not a threat. No need to destroy scarab at this time_," the ring announced.

"**Suggested course of action/ Yellow sun radiation concentrated in tight beam. Ring will be neutralised. Sibling Milagro will suffer loss of limb and possible third degree burns**_,"_ the Scarab chimed into Jaime's mind.

"We're not nuking the ring or my sister," Jaime growled over his shoulder to the Scarab. "It decided that you're not dangerous and is willing to cohabitate under the same roof with you…so knock it off."

"**Scarab Kadji Da will comply…for the time being**," the Scarab muttered.

"Finished?" Bianca asked, folding her arms across her chest and glaring at her son. Jaime nodded.

"Kadji's gonna play nice," he assured her.

"It's like two cats," Alberto chuckled as he watched his children. As if on cue, the sounds of a cat fight could be heard in the distance. Bianca scowled at her husband who was chuckling.

"Since your ring broke the window," Bianca stated to Milagro. "Your ring can fix it."

"On it," Milagro grinned and pointed her fist towards the broken remains of her bedroom window. Shards of glass swirled in the air for a moment before fitting back into place in the window frame. She glanced over her shoulder at her elder brother who was shaking his head and aiming his armoured right arm at the glass. A burst of light shot out and fused the broken pieces of glass together.

"Kadji didn't want to get shown up," Jaime muttered as the armour retracted from his arm.

"One super powered kid was crazy," Bianca muttered as she turned to leave the bedroom. "Two? I need a drink."

"Si mija," Alberto agreed as he followed his wife.

Milagro and Jaime shared a glance before following their parents. "There goes that Patrón you got her for her birthday," Milagro murmured.

"Mmhmm," her brother agreed.

They arrived to see their mother ignore the glass of tequila their father had poured for her, as she grabbed the bottle and took a long swig. Bianca slammed the bottle down and drank the glass that Alberto had poured and turned to her children. "So now what?" she asked.

"I take Milagro to San Francisco tomorrow morning and she can start training with the Teen Titans?" Jaime suggested. Milagro nodded enthusiastically in agreement.

"Train?" Bianca squeaked.

"You want her to learn the ropes the hard way like I did?"

"You leave first thing in the morning," Alberto stated. Bianca shot him a dirty look out of the corner of her eye.

"Yes Sir," Milagro and Jaime replied.

"Now what to wear?" Milagro added. She wandered over to the full length mirror on a closet door and held her ring hand up. The standard Green Lantern costume materialised and Milagro frowned. "Pass." She thought for a second and the costume changed into a feminine version of the one Guy Gardener wore. "That always looked better in my head for some reason," she muttered, slightly disappointed with her appearance. The costume changed again to a slinky bodysuit that threatened to revel quite a bit.

"No!" came the chorus of protests from her parents and brother.

Milagro laughed. "Just messing with you," she assured them. She sighed and glanced over at her brother. An idea came to mind and she cocked an eyebrow at him. A black bodysuit with green armour similar to that her brother wore as Blue Beetle materialised on her.

"You might want to do something about hiding your identity," Jaime suggested. Milagro smirked and an opaque visor appeared over her eyes as streaks of green wove through her long hair. She glanced in the mirror and snapped her fingers.

"Sold!" she stated as she took in her new look.

"It works," Jaime admitted. Bianca made a sad whine as she shook her head. Alberto topped off the two shot glasses with tequila and chuckled when Jaime grabbed one to be filled. "I'm twenty two. I'm old enough to drink Ma," he reminded her when she glared up at him.

The sun was just rising over El Paso the following morning when the Reyes siblings left for San Francisco. "Jaime?" Milagro asked as they flew high into the sky.

"¿Qué?" he replied.

"I want to see something first," she offered shyly. He cocked an eyebrow at her but said nothing as he followed her straight up into space. They were near enough to the moon to feel its weak gravity, when Milagro finally stopped and turned around to look at the Earth below. "I can't see El Paso," she murmured.

"Not from this far out," Jaime told her. "You can only see it at night when the lights are on, and even then it's hard to discern."

"So we really are just specks, huh?" Milagro asked.

"Follow me but don't look back until I tell you to," Jaime offered with a knowing smile. Milagro did as she was told and they flew on for a while. She expected to see other planets, but only the occasional asteroid came into view. They slowed to a stop and Jaime told her to look behind her.

"Where are we?" she asked. A bright star was directly in front of her but there was no sign of their home planet.

"That's the sun," Jaime said, pointing to the star. "And that tiny little blue dot," he added, shifting his finger slightly to the left. "That's Earth." Milagro squinted until she spotted their native planet. Tears pricked her eyes as she took in the view.

"We're just…" Milagro murmured, lost for words. A screen formed on Jaime's arm and he held it up for her to see.

"This is us, right now. And this is the solar system," he stated pointing things out to her. "And we're still inside the solar system. We aren't even out in interstellar space yet." The screen disappeared and Jaime hugged his sister to him. Milagro nestled her head against his chest for a moment and took in the view.

"Okay…I'm ready," she stated after a while. "I just needed to get a perspective on things," she added as they headed back for Earth.

"Remind yourself that despite the powers, we're still the little people?" Jaime chuckled.

"¡Sí! La Linterna Verde y el Escarabajo Azul ... luchamos por todo el mundo!" Milagro cried, pumping her fist as she did so. Brother and sister howled in laughter as they approached Earth and homed in on San Francisco and Titan's Tower in the pre-dawn.

Connor Kent and Tim Drake-Wayne were on the roof having a cup of coffee when Connor looked up and spied the Reyes siblings. They landed on the roof and Jaime let his mask pull away from his face. "Hey Blue, a new Green Lantern?" Connor greeted.

"How are we doing the ID thing?" Milagro murmured softly to her brother.

"Milagro?" Connor gaped, recognising her voice. Jaime laughed.

"Like that," he told his sister before explaining to Connor and Tim what had happened the night before. Milagro let the visor disappear from her eyes and looked out over the bay towards downtown San Francisco. She felt oddly at peace. "Hermanita?" Jaime asked when he noticed Milagro staring out at the city.

"¿Qué?" she blinked. Jaime asked if she'd heard anything that he and Connor had said. "Ni una palabra," Milagro admitted.

"We're gonna head downstairs now," Jaime sighed. "Some of the Titans should be up already."

"Robin for sure. Superboy possibly," Connor stated. "Arsenal and the twins…not a chance."

"Twins?" Milagro asked.

"Firewall and Kid Flash are twin brother and sister," Jaime replied. He saw the puzzled look his sister shot him and laughed. "I know they don't look it, but they are."

Chris Kent shrugged before draining the last of the orange juice from the jug. He paused and glanced over when he heard shuffling towards the coffee maker. "Dude? Have you even slept yet?"

"No," Jai West muttered darkly as he poured a cup of coffee for himself.

"You haven't?" Damian Wayne queried.

"No," Jai reiterated. "And before you even think about it you illegitimate douche-bag…I spent the whole night hacking, decrypting, decoding, and organising the data on those flash drives we swiped last week." Chris nearly spat out the gulp of orange juice he'd taken while Damian narrowed his eyes at Jai. "Kiss my ass if you think you're going to wipe the floor with me in training…right now," Jai added, glancing at his watch.

"Uh a Green Lantern?" Chris piped up. Damian and Jai both looked to where Chris was watching Milagro follow Connor, Tim, and Jaime into the kitchen.

"Is that your sister?" Chris asked Jaime. Jaime nodded.

"Hiya! See ya!" Iris West called out as she and Lian Harper made a beeline for the front entrance.

"Freeze," Tim commanded.

"What?" Iris growled as the two girls came to a halt.

"Dude, a Green Lantern?" Lian murmured, pointing to Milagro.

"Cool!"

"Where are you two off to?" Tim asked.

"Farmer's market at the Ferry Building," Iris replied.

"At five thirty in the morning?" Connor exclaimed.

"Get there before the yuppies," Lian replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You're gonna skip breakfast to beat the yuppies?" Connor teased Iris.

"How many food stalls have they got over there?" Lian asked, shaking her head.

"Duh," Iris snorted. "Milagro, right?" she added.

"Yep."

"I'm Irey and this is Lian," she introduced. "You wanna come with us?"

"Sure," Milagro grinned. "Por favor?" she added, holding her hand out towards her brother.

"There's a stand called Eses con huevos," Jaime chuckled as he got out his wallet to give Milagro some money. "Yeah cheesy name but their menudo blanco can give Abuelas' a run for her money. Get the la familia size."

"Eses con huevos?" Milagro snorted.

"Bunch of ex-gang bangers from Oakland…think of them as like the Posse," her brother replied.

"So, they're cool then? Okay, back in a bit." Milagro focused for a moment and her costume changed into a pair of black jeans with a green sweater. "Ready when you are," she addressed Iris and Lian.

The three girls left, chatting with each other and getting to know one another as the others watched. Jai glanced over at Jaime and sighed. "Speaking from experience dude…you're screwed."

"Don't I know it," Jaime groaned. Milagro, Iris, and Lian hit it off famously. Much to the consternation of their teammates.

_¡Sí!_ _La Linterna Verde y el Escarabajo Azul ... luchamos__ por todo__ el__ mundo__! = Yes! The Green Lantern and the Blue Beetle…we fight for everybody!_

_Hermanita = Sister._

_Ni una palabra = Not a word _

_Eses con huevos = Guys with eggs. Can be kind of suggestive that one.  
><em>


	21. Branded

Branded

_A/N: Definitely an M chapter this one. Consenting adults…in bed…post-coital pillow talk and cuddles. Was watching Batman Begins the other night and the bit where Ra's is about to have Bruce branded as a full-fledged League of Shadows member, made my brain explode with this idea. This is set somewhere between chapters 8 and 9 of the vignettes._

Iris Wayne lay sated on her side gazing lovingly at her husband as he slept. It had been a harrowing few days where they had barely seen each other, as all of Earth's superheroes fought off the impending alien invasion. Damian had been with his family involved in infiltrating the alien's forward base in the catacombs of Rome. While Iris and the other speedsters had been relegated to messenger status, zipping between the various teams and giving them support where they could. They had reunited at the Tower when the crisis had been averted and soon afterwards drifted into smaller groups to celebrate their victory. Iris grinned in the darkness as she recalled her brother practically dragging Lian and Chris towards the sleeping quarter's area of the tower. Milagro had used the excuse to visit with her family, as her Green Lantern duties had had her assigned to Oa for the past year and a half.

Damian took a deep breath and shifted slightly before relaxing back into a deep sleep. The slight movement had exposed two over lapping scars on his lower belly and Iris' gaze drifted towards them. She'd cringed the first time she ever saw them, knowing that they had been deliberately placed there. The older of the two was perfectly circular while the newer one was an elaborate swirl that Damian had told her was an ancient Sumerian symbol. Iris loathed the circular one and the woman responsible for putting it there. She couldn't help liking the newer one though, even when Damian had told her that he'd put it there himself. Iris reached out and gently traced her fingers over the brands burned into her husband's skin.

Talia had had her own six year old son held down as she carefully held the red hot iron bearing the League of Assassins emblem to his skin. When Damian told Iris about the branding, she marvelled that he hadn't screamed or cried out. Damian admitted to grunting in pain and letting the tears fall as his mother marked him for slavery, as he'd worded it. Iris recalled with satisfaction the first time she encountered Talia after learning of the branding. Talia had decided that the son she had so casually discarded could still be used as a weapon against the Batman. The Titans had insisted on aiding Bruce and his adopted brood in finding his abducted son. Iris' fingers brushed against the dark, taught, smooth skin of the first brand and she smiled. Talia al Ghul was dangerous but she was no match for a speedster who knew all of her tactics. Several of Iris' in-laws still delighted in recalling the ruthless efficiency Iris had incapacitated Talia and a dozen guards with in less than ten seconds. Jason and Cassandra in particular mused that they should just send an irate Iris after Damian's maternal family from now on.

The elaborate swirl was of Damian's making, and Iris let her fingers gently trace the elegant curls of scar tissue that lay half over the mark his mother had burned into him as a child. According to Damian, the mark was an ancient Sumerian symbol of revolution that had been uncovered in ruins two centuries earlier. He'd said that the shadowy underworld his mother lived in, had known of the symbol for far longer. When Damian was fifteen he'd burned the mark partially over his other one, cementing his loyalty to his father and his crusade for justice. Unlike the first mark, the second was slightly raised and ghostly white against his olive toned skin. Iris giggled softly as she recalled when her twin had decided that the mark would be a perfect addition to his own skin, after Damian declared that there was nothing more he could teach Jai. Their parents had flipped. Bad enough according to their father that Jai already had several tattoos. That he'd added a brand to the mix was nearly unforgivable.

"Are you done amusing yourself?" Damian murmured in the darkness.

"Depends," Iris grinned. "You done sleeping off round one?"

"Somewhat," he replied softly.

Iris propped up onto an elbow and leaned over to kiss the patch of skin she'd been toying with. Damian groaned and Iris smirked into the kiss as she caught sight of the sheet shifting before her. "Yeah, I think you can handle another round," she teased, before pulling the sheet away from his growing erection.

Chris Kent let his head loll to the side as he took in the sleeping forms of his lovers. It had only been recently that the three had decided to try an open relationship, after Jai had cottoned on to one of Chris' deepest secrets. Chris had fallen almost immediately head over heels in love with Lian Harper the first time he ever laid eyes on her. That she was involved, however casually with Jai, had made Chris keep his distance and his feelings private. Apparently he'd done a poor job of hiding his attraction, as Jai had brought it up ever so casually one afternoon at the Tower. Funny, considering Lian constantly accused Jai West of having the emotional empathy of a brick.

"How's New York treating you these days?" Jai had asked.

"I like it there," Chris had freely admitted. "It's so different from Metropolis…San Francisco too." Chris considered for a moment and then smiled. "Although, I think of all of us, you and Lian have the best set up down the coast."

"Lian definitely loved having you over…me too," Jai shrugged. "You're welcome any time, man." Jai watched the wistful look briefly grace Chris' eyes and smirked. "You're so in love in with our favourite sai wielding maniac," Jai teased. Chris' eyes grew wide and he gulped that his friend had caught on.

"Jai, quit picking on Chris," Lian had scolded as she entered the control room where the two men were.

"He's got the hots for you, I can't help it," Jai laughed.

"Jai, I can barbeque you with a look," Chris reminded his friend as his face turned red with embarrassment.

"I've known for ages," Lian snorted, glaring at Jai. "That you caught on is just shy of a miracle."

"Hey!" Jai bellowed.

Chris wanted to slink off and get as far away from the two as he could, but Lian had placed a firm hand on his shoulder in a manner that suggested he think otherwise. She assured him that she was flattered and even returned the interest somewhat. Chris had swallowed loudly as Jai added that he didn't mind either and even asked what the Kryptonian thought of polyamorous relationships. Chris feared that he'd faint at the suggestion but answered honestly that he hadn't really thought much either way of the idea. After that day, Chris had considered their offer and found himself talking to Kara about it. She'd smiled knowingly as she informed her young cousin that it wasn't a crime and that if he was interested, maybe he should give Lian and Jai's invitation a shot. That had been nearly six months ago. A month ago, Chris had relocated from New York City to the quiet town on the California coast and moved in with the pair.

The lights of San Francisco filtering through the window, were more than enough for Chris to study the two beside him as the night wore on. The stark white swirl on Jai's shoulder caught his eye and Chris traced the pattern with his eyes. Damian had an identical mark on his lower abdomen. Chris remembered when Damian declared that Jai was his equal in the ways of the assassin. Jai had decided some time before that if the day ever arrived, he'd take on the mark of revolution that his teacher proudly bore. Damian had consented to the idea and handed Jai the handmade piece that Damian had used to scar himself. Jai thanked him and went to the garage to heat it up with a blow torch and press it into his own shoulder. He'd hissed a little, but smiled with pride as the mark burned into his skin. Damian had nodded his approval while Lian had just rolled her eyes and shook her head. Chris had cringed a little but Jai's twin had howled in laughter. Iris delighted in telling the team later about the less than enthusiastic reaction of Wally and Linda West when they first saw the mark.

Jai already had several tattoos, an idea shunned by most in the hero community, as they were easy forms of identity people used. Jai's parents had since come to accept that Jai didn't care one way or another, what anyone thought about his tattoos or the brand. In his public identity they were fitting and ignored for the most part. Jai was a video game designer. An artist. That he had art permanently etched and burned into his skin was inconsequential. Jai stirred in his sleep and blinked in the dark room.

"Contemplating Dad's request to burn the thing off?" he teased when he noticed where Chris' attention was focused.

"Nah. It's grown on me," Chris replied quietly.

"Would you two shut up and go back to sleep," Lian murmured, before turning towards Chris and cuddling up to him. Jai and Chris shared a look, glanced down at Lian, before looking each other in the eye again. Jai shook his head no as Chris smirked in the dark and gently rolled Lian onto her back. "Damn it," she growled before moaning in pleasure as the two men began kissing and caressing her.


	22. Movie Night

Watching a film.

_The kiddies watch The Avengers and MST3K it._

Damian Wayne was not the film type by any stretch of the imagination. His elder adopted siblings would tell you that it was because he lacked any sense of imagination in order to appreciate the art form. Damian would tell you that he just didn't like sitting around watching mindless drivel for several hours. Iris West on the other hand loved films, especially the action adventure ones. Films were one of the few things that could get the speedster to come to a stop. That and hockey games, but those were reserved for enjoying with Lian. Unfortunately for Damian and fortunately for Iris, 'movie night' had become so ingrained in Teen Titans lore that it was considered heresy to skip out on it. So it was late on a Friday night, after taking out a would-be world conqueror in the Haight, which the teenagers found themselves in the main living room preparing to honour tradition.

Chris held the disc up as he faced the others. "We all saw it in theatres, right? Besides, the obvious," he added with a chuckle towards Damian. Damian shook his head as the others laughed.

"Just put it on already," Jai stated.

"We're totally MST3K-ing it," Lian added. Damian perked up at that. His friends could definitely make films more interesting with the commentary that they came up with.

"I'm just making…" Chris was interrupted by Milagro, who began throwing popcorn at him.

"Ay dios mio! Andale!" she hollered. "I'm pretty sure if I will it hard enough, I can make kryptonite with this thing," she threatened, holding up the hand her Green Lantern ring was on. Chris held an arm up to shield his face from another handful of popcorn as he stooped down to put the disc in the player.

"What's this film about?" Damian quietly asked Iris, as she cuddled up against his side.

Iris grinned and leaned up to whisper in his ear. "The Avengers is the big, summer, super hero, block buster that just came out."

"Ah," Damian murmured. "And who is familiar with the source material?"

"All of us, but Jai, Chris, and Mila, especially," Iris replied. "Would someone take the popcorn off of her already?" Iris barked when she and Damian were suddenly pelted by Milagro.

"Would you two quit making out?" Milagro countered as the film started.

"Oh please," Damian muttered shortly after the film had started. "Richard's the only person I know who can do anything remotely like that and it leaves him winded."

"Chica is pumped up on super steroids, so it's plausible," Milagro countered.

"What the Mexicana said," Iris giggled. "And before you start, this dude is even more pumped up on super steroids than the red head," she added a little while later when the scene changed.

"I wasn't…never mind," Damian muttered when he saw what would have made him scoff this time. "I still don't see how this one's a threat," he added a while later.

"Don't worry, you will in a bit," Lian assured him. On the floor in front of her, Chris moaned in delight. "Let me guess? That scene later on gets the Kryptonian bits all tingly?"

"Dad and me both!" Chris admitted. Damian quirked an eyebrow at that.

"This I have to see."

"Oh hell yeah you do!" Iris grinned.

"So are those two going to fight or kiss?" Damian asked a little while later. On screen the super soldier and man of iron were having a heated debate. "What?" he asked when the others turned to look at him.

"I think I love you," Lian laughed after a moment.

"Back off," Iris attempted to sound threatening but failed when she let out a giggle.

"I'm sure Nordics the world over love how their cultural heritage has been butchered," Damian snorted at the introduction of the last hero.

"They roll their eyes," Iris shrugged. "There's an online comic artist from Denmark that totally mocks this in one of her strips."

"And this is how frumpy science dude is a threat," Jai smirked as the film picked up pace a while later. Damian looked appropriately horrified as the monster raged uncontrollably on screen. The look changed to interested scrutiny when the two assassins battled it out.

"Here comes the good stuff," Milagro grinned, as the heroes began to form up soon afterwards.

"Those things totally remind me of the worms in DUNE…I swear to god," Jai stated.

"They do!" Chris agreed.

"And those were virtually indestructible," Damian pointed out.

"You actually paid attention to that?" Iris quizzed him. He nodded.

"Oh, here it comes, here it comes!" Chris grinned. He moaned in appreciation as the humble scientist let loose his rage and stopped the alien creature in its path. "Dad, Kon, Kara, and I all want to do that at least once!" he crowed as the alien creature exploded on screen.

"Wow," Damian murmured in genuine awe. Five pairs of eyes turned to him in amazement.

"Jesus, write the date! Damian is impressed by a flick!" Iris laughed. Damian elbowed her lightly in the ribs.

As the film finished and the credits rolled, Damian shrugged. "That was actually quite entertaining."

"They're working on the sequel," Iris pointed out.

"That ought to be fun."

"Ese, we might just make a movie fan out of you yet," Milagro teased.


	23. Through the Years

Falling For You

_Damian and Irey through the years._

**Holding Hands.**

He was thirteen the first time he held her hand. If you asked him then, he had grabbed it to slow her down. Speedsters were always moving about, never staying still. Iris West was no exception. She saw the store on the Warf and was about to dash off towards it. Damian grabbed her hand to keep her from using her speed in public. He scowled when she turned on him and flashed him a teasing grin.

"This a date, Wayne?" she grinned.

"Hardly, West," he scoffed.

Damian heard a click and turned to glare at the source. Iris' twin had a smirk on his face as he checked the photo on his mobile. "Dad is gonna flip!" Jai declared as he pressed save. Damian was just beginning to count off all the ways Jai West was going to pay for that photo when Iris' laughter derailed his train of thought. He'd heard her laugh countless times before; her personality was generally light and fun loving to begin with. But something about the sound issuing forth from her now caused a tingling in his gut. Damian had never felt anything like it before and because he was trying to figure it out, he continued to hold Iris' hand.

Years later the pair of them were wandering along the Warf and Iris spotted the gourmet shop. "We need salt grinders," she declared. She tugged on Damian's hand as she led the way to the boutique shop. Damian let his lips curl slightly as he recalled the first time he'd held her hand. They were in roughly the same spot as back then and he snorted a soft laugh. "Wha?" Iris asked when she heard his laugh.

"Nothing. Just thinking," he replied. "How many colours of salt does one person need?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Ask Bart, because he's the one that keeps finding them and bringing them home," Iris replied. Damian shrugged as he was led along the Warf. His thumb brushing against the diamond ring he'd recently given her as a vow of his intentions to always be with her.

**Cuddling Somewhere.**

School had been exasperating to say the least. Two tests, one Iris was sure she'd failed and the other mundane things that made school a challenge. She just wanted a hug. Walking home with Jai, she made up her mind. "Tell Mom and Dad that I went to hang out with a friend," she stated before leaving her twin to choke on the dust cloud she'd kicked up.

"Sure," Jai snarled. Iris had left her backpack at his feet and he was sorely tempted to leave it. He muttered curses in Korean under his breath as he heaved his sister's backpack onto his free shoulder.

Missouri gave way to the Ohio Valley and eventually the fields faded into the megalopolis that was the North East. She skirted the bulk of Gotham on her way to Wayne Manor. Running a hand through her ponytail to straighten it out, she pressed the doorbell. "Hi Alfred, is Damian in?" she asked somewhat shyly as the elderly butler answered the door.

"He is in the back garden, Miss Iris," Alfred replied, and stepped aside to let her in.

"Thank you, Alfred," she smiled sweetly before heading for the massive lawn and garden behind the manor. Iris wandered out from the sunroom and looked around for Damian. She finally spied him near a small copse of poplar trees and wandered over to him. The minute shift of his head towards her let her know that he'd heard her approach. "Hey," she greeted softly and startled when he stood up and crushed her in an embrace. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he lied as he held her tight, his face buried in the spot where her neck and shoulder met.

"Yeah…and I'm the queen of England," she scoffed, not believing him for a second, placing her hands on his shoulders.

Damian sighed. "We had to put Sekhmet down," he murmured. Iris' eyes flew wide for a moment before she returned the crushing embrace. She carded her fingers through his hair as he leaned into her welcoming embrace. Her own troubles long forgotten as he mourned the loss of his beloved cat. Neither teenager was sure how long they stayed like that, but Iris finally asked what had happened to the cat. "He got sick and the vet said that there was nothing they could do."

"Aw. I'm going to miss him," she admitted. "He was such a lover," she sniffled. Damian would bring Sekhmet with him to Titan's Island on the weekends and the others had quickly grown fond of the loving black cat. A chill autumn wind rustled the leaves of the poplar trees and Iris shivered a little. Damian noticed and suggested they head back inside. They got as far as the sunroom and flopped down onto one of the sofas. Iris curled up at one end and Damian laid his head on her lap. They stayed like that until the sun set. "Damn it," Iris muttered when her mobile buzzed. She read the text message and sent a quick reply. "Sorry…Mom wanting to know where I was," she said as Damian glanced up at her. Another message came through and Iris pursed her lips. "You have two more hours of Irey's cuddly lap service," she teased.

"I'll take what I can get," Damian murmured, shifting a little more into her lap. They spent the time allowed them in silence, Damian resting on Iris' lap and Iris running her fingers through his hair.

"Two hours are almost up," Iris sighed as her curfew approached. Damian sat up and got off the sofa. He held his hand out to help her up, which she gladly accepted. "Feeling better?" she asked, as he walked her towards the front door.

"No," he admitted. "But I will. Thank you." Damian took her hand and placed a chaste kiss to the knuckles. Damian reached for the doorknob and paused. "What brought you out here in the first place?" he asked.

Iris gave him a lopsided smile and shrugged her shoulders. "Somebody needed a hug…you way more than me," she admitted. "I'll tell you all about it on Friday." She stood on tiptoes and kissed his cheek. He smiled softly before opening the door and bidding her goodbye. Damian stayed at the door and watched as the speedster jogged to the front gate and then tore off towards Keystone City.

**On a Date.**

Their weekends with the Titans were usually free of worry for the most part. They'd train and occasionally use those skills to take on anyone who wanted to cause mayhem in the City by the Bay. Most of the time they trained and then wandered into the city on their downtime. They all knew San Francisco as well as their own hometowns and had favourite haunts just like the residents. It was on a Saturday in January that Damian asked Iris if she wanted to spend the afternoon with him. It was unusually warm and sunny out and Iris grinned at the prospect. They made it to the private garage on the mainland and Damian produced the keys to the Audi. They drove west and Iris saw various tourist locations pass by.

"Land's End?" she asked.

"Not quite," Damian replied. "Timothy told me of a hidden gem on the coast and I feel like checking it out." Iris raised an intrigued eyebrow but said nothing. Damian found a parking space next to a quiet park and stopped the car. "Our destination my treasure," he teased.

"Sutro Heights Park?" Iris murmured as she read the sign. "Never heard of it."

"It was once the sight of a grand mansion, and it is in the ruins of said mansion that we'll be dining," Damian replied, taking a large tote bag from the back of the car.

"Lead on," Iris grinned, looping her arm through his. They wandered along dirt paths for a ways until coming up to a copse of cypress trees waving in the breeze. Up a small embankment were the ruins Damian mentioned. Iris considered dashing ahead but decided to walk alongside Damian as they made their way into the ruins. "Oh…wow!" Iris exclaimed as they reached the outer edge of the ruins and looked out.

"Timothy wasn't joking," Damian breathed.

Iris looked down the cliff and snorted. "How many times have we gone past the Cliff House and never known this was here?"

"I know," Damian murmured, as he spied the popular cliff side restaurant.

The foundation walls were wide enough to comfortably sit on as Damian spread a blanket out. Iris sat cross legged on the blanket opposite him and he set the tote on the ground next to them. They were facing each other but rarely did they actually look at the other, they were too focused on absorbing as much of the view as they could.

"Wow, the marine layer is way out today," Iris murmured, as she noticed that she couldn't see a sign of the city's infamous fog source. "Yeah, that's the Farallons," she added, pointing towards the ghostly outlines of islands out at sea.

"This place must be enchanting in the fog," Damian murmured.

"Want to find out tomorrow?" Iris teased, polishing off her sandwich. Damian merely huffed a laugh and let a small smirk curl his lips. A little while later they packed up the remains of their late lunch and set it aside. Iris scooted over and leaned against Damian as the pair watched the sun setting in the west. "There it is," Iris murmured about the marine layer as the sun turned blood red before disappearing behind the constant fog bank.

"Look," Damian murmured, pointing towards the city as it began to light up for the evening. Iris let a contented sigh escape as she cuddled into Damian a little more to enjoy the view.

"We better head back to the car while there's still some light," she suggested a few minutes later. "I don't know about you, but I saw a ton of gopher holes and those hurt if you step in them wrong." The small park still had an enchanting feel to it as they wandered back to the car. Damian pulled a small flashlight out of his pocket when it got too dark to see properly.

"Okay, I'm starving and there's a great place on Clement, between 25th and 26th!" Iris suggested. Damian chuckled as he started the car and headed for the restaurant Iris had suggested. She had been correct, the food was fantastic.

_A/N: Sutro Heights Park in San Francisco is a hidden treasure that most people accidently stumble on and find to be the highlight of their trip. Many residents of San Francisco aren't really aware of its existence even and it has some breath-taking views of the Pacific and nearby Seal Rocks. On a fog free day, you can even see the Farallon Islands, which is a wildlife reserve off the coast of Northern California. _


	24. Where the Waters Run Deep

Where the Waters Run Deep.

_A/N: Every incarnation of the Titans needs an Atlantean. I mean c'mon! I know Cerdian was killed in the comics as an infant, but it is the comics…and heroes never stay dead. Just ask Lian. ;) My version of Cerdian for this is very similar to the way his dad was portrayed in the Teen Titans cartoon…the one Raven and Starfire drool over._

They all knew the story. Poseidonis had been obliterated by the Spectre, along with nearly all of its residents over a decade ago. Lian tended to frown or look distant whenever the ill fated city was brought up, as she had been the only current member of the team to have gone there. A minor tsunami recently in the Atlantic Ocean was the first indication that anyone had had of its return. A city suddenly reappearing on the ocean floor tended to displace a lot of water. For Lian, Iris, and Jai, the return of Poseidonis had been a momentous occasion in their homes. Even Damian mused at how thrilled his eldest brother had been at the news. Iris and Jai got to see their father hopeful for the first time, since word had gotten out that one of his oldest friends had been killed. Roy and Lian Harper also felt the hope that Garth returned along with the city. A month after the fateful tsunami, they got their wish and were reunited with Tempest.

Atlan had pulled the city's inhabitants into an alternate dimension just as the Spectre destroyed their home. Many perished but not all of them. Tempest survived along with his infant son Cerdian, who only survived because of his mother's brave sacrifice for her son. Atlan sensed the raw magical potential of the infant and along with Tempest began training him. As time moved faster in the alternate dimension, when Poseidonis was returned to its original realm, the surviving residents were nearly a decade older than they would have been. The infant that Roy and Wally had known so briefly was now a young man of nineteen. As Garth sat at dinner with Roy and Wally, along with Dick Grayson and Donna Troy, he learned of the newest incarnation of the team the five had forged so long ago.

"The team needs an Atlantean, Garth," Wally suggested. "You should consider letting Cerdian join."

"It's in the Titan's by-laws, man," Roy added. "Every incarnation of the Titans needs at least one Atlantean!"

Garth smothered a small laugh with his hand. "He's with Lorena at the moment in Sub Diego. He grew up hearing my stories of my time as a Titan and yes, he wants to join."

"How do you feel about the idea?" Donna asked.

"He's of age to make his own choices," Garth admitted. He gazed into his glass of water and smiled softly. "I gave him my blessing when he appeared in full costume with the codename Surge. Lorena is currently getting him accustomed to this world before he signs on."

"So when do I give Damian the head's up that they're getting a new teammate?" Dick grinned.

"I'll let you know," Garth chuckled.

"Hola precioso," Milagro murmured a month later, as Lorena Marquez led her young charge into the tower. Lorena cocked an amused eyebrow at Milagro. "Hey…you still have the hots for my brother, Chica…don't give me that look."

"I can vouch for Lorena on that front," Lian sniffed, as she entered the room. "Jaime is definitely drool worthy…whoa." Lian stopped cold and only saw the tall quiet stranger smiling softly besides Lorena. She knew Cerdian lived but had not yet had the chance to meet him.

"You two are sad," Lorena teased.

"Precioso? Le parece?" The young Atlantean asked Lorena.

Lorena laughed as Milagro hung her head and groaned. "Ay dios mio…you taught him Spanish."

"Si mija," Lorena smirked. Lian patted her friend's shoulder in sympathy. "Where's everyone else?" Lorena asked.

"Arguing in the living room, over what's on for movie night," Lian replied. She led them to where Iris was currently stating her point of view over what her brother and Chris wanted to watch later that night.

"I don't give a rat's ass what you two say…good God," she trailed off when she spied Cerdian. Damian glanced up from where he was sprawled on the sofa reading and looked towards where Iris was staring. He cocked an eyebrow at Cerdian before returning to his book.

Chris and Jai had both turned to look behind them when Iris had fallen silent and saw their guests. "Cerdian right?" Chris grinned. "Welcome to the Titans," he added when Cerdian nodded.

"Thanks."

"Yeah, you'll blend right in with the rest of us studs," Jai teased, noticing that the female members of the team were quite taken with the young Atlantean.

"Lorena told me that you tend to venture out into the populace," Cerdian stated. His pale blue eyes began to glow and the others stared slack jawed as his long bluish white hair darkened until it was nearly black. His eyes went from the colour of glacial ice to a more normal shade of blue. His blue and black bodysuit, similar in design to the red and black one his father wore as Tempest, changed into a tee and pair of jeans. "I think this will disguise me enough," he added as the glow in his eyes faded.

"Still hot," Milagro muttered.

"Mmhmm," Lian agreed.

"Yep," Iris nodded. Damian set his book down and sat up to stare at Iris as Jai shook his head at Lian. Chris bit his lip and turned his head away as he tried not to bust out in laughter. Cerdian blushed faintly as he returned to his usual appearance.

"Oh I could have fun with this," Lorena teased. Cerdian shot her a dirty look as a senior member of the team joined them.

"Indeed," Raven mused. "I sensed a strong magical presence and assumed that you were here." Lorena introduced Cerdian and Raven. "Much like your father," Raven murmured as she studied him. "Ready?" she asked Lorena suddenly.

"Si. I can trust that he's safe here with you guys right?" Lorena directed to the teenagers.

Jai snorted a laugh. "Those three will make sure of it…ow!" Jai tried to hide behind Chris as the three girls all launched towards him.

"We'll be fine," Damian sniffed, as he rose from the sofa. Lorena struggled to contain her laughter as Raven let her soul self materialise to take the pair of them away to join up with the other senior members of the team. "Our mentors are attempting to infiltrate a rave that is serving as a cover for rather illicit activities," he explained as he stood before Cerdian. Damian noticed that the Atlantean was slightly taller than he was, though not quite as tall as Chris.

"Lorena told me," Cerdian stated as he held his hand out to Damian.

"Besides the magical talents, do you possess other abilities?" Damian asked as he shook Cerdian's proffered hand.

"Hydrokenisis and electrokenisis," Cerdian replied and demonstrated by focusing on the glass of water sitting on the table near where Damian had been reading. The others, who had been wrestling on the other end of the sofa, all paused and watched along with Damian in fascination as the water floated in the air and moved at Cerdian's will. He raised a hand up and shot the water with a bolt of electricity causing the water to evaporate into steam.

"There goes my drink," Damian mused.

"You think?" Cerdian smirked. The hand that had shot out the electrical current turned slightly as he focused on the dispersing steam. The molecules condensed and coalesced into their liquid state. The ball of water drifted towards the table and lazily poured back into the glass.

"I'm impressed!" Chris grinned.

"Hence the very apt codename, Surge," Damian said.

Chris held a hand up suddenly and focused on something his hearing had picked up. "Sst," he demanded. Iris tore off and returned with Lian, Damian, and Jai's costumes. "Trouble on Alcatraz," Chris stated as he quickly took off to change into his own costume.

"Oh great," Milagro groaned, holding her ring hand up and letting her costume materialise.

"We go in fully armed," Damian state, fixing his mask to his face. Lian and Jai nodded as they checked that they had everything. The teenagers rushed outside and looked across the water to the notorious prison island. "Firewall?"

"Attempted prison break," he replied, reading the emergency bulletin scrolling across the screen on his minicomputer. "They've knocked out the generators."

"All aboard, who's getting aboard," Green Lantern stated, making a platform for Arsenal, Firewall, and Robin.

"Race you," Kid Flash winked at Surge as she tore off towards the island. Surge summoned up a large wave and soon caught up to the speedster.

"You're on," he teased.

"That the best you have KF?" Superboy added, as he flew in low next to her.

"Lantern, get the generators working again. Firewall; assist on getting systems back on line. The rest of us, subdue and contain," Robin ordered as they arrived at Alcatraz. He joined Arsenal as the two leapt from the platform into the fray. Green Lantern set Firewall down near the main control building of the prison and then headed for the generators.

"Okay, what have I got here," she murmured as she came upon the power source for the island. "That's easy," she muttered a moment later, noticing that the main lines had been severed.

"What have you got GL?" Firewall asked over the comm.

"Cut lines. I should be able to fix them in no time," she replied.

In the main prison yard Superboy and Kid Flash were rounding up prisoners at super speed. Surge aimed his hands at a hulking menace of a man and hit him with his bioelectricity. "That tickles," the brute scoffed.

"This won't," Surge purred as he focused on the man's bloodstream. The prisoner suddenly stood rigid and grunted. After a few seconds he fell to the ground stunned. "Told you." Surge turned to find another opponent.

"What did you do?" Robin demanded.

"Shunted his blood backwards for a moment," Surge replied, firing electricity at another prisoner.

"I like it!" Arsenal exclaimed, kicking her opponent in the throat and taking him out.

Green Lantern finished fusing the cut lines together and called over the comm. "Try it now Firewall."

In the control room, Firewall tried to get the generators going. "Short circuited, they need a jump start. Surge? Can you see the generators where you're at?" he called.

"Yes," he replied and fired at the generators. They kicked to life and Firewall smirked in the control room.

"Thanks Dude…systems powering up," he murmured as he worked the control board. A hand slammed down on a large red button just out of his reach and he glanced over at the warden. "And the bad guys should be powering down right about…now," he informed his teammates.

In the prison yard, Kid Flash yelped as the inhibitor collar her prisoner was wearing came to life and shocked him. She waved her hand furiously and blew on it to cool it off. "Thanks for the warning, bro," she muttered darkly.

The team stayed on the island to help get the prisoners back into their cells, before the warden dismissed them. Back in the tower, the argument over what to watch for movie night resumed. Cerdian held his hands up as he mentioned that he wasn't that up to speed on the surface world, when Jai asked for his opinion. Damian rolled his eyes and marched over to case where the DVDs were stored. He reached out and randomly grabbed one and took it over to hand to Chris, who was closest to the DVD player.

"Seriously?" Chris asked.

"Just shut up and put it on," Damian growled and stalked back to his spot on the sofa.

"Torchwood it is," Chris shrugged. They explained the series to Cerdian who surprised them by filling in some of the blanks.

"Dad loved it when it came out," he shrugged.

"Uncle Garth has kick ass taste," Lian declared.

"I'm sorry, but Asian chick with a British accent…that will never stop being sexy," Jai commented a few hours later.

"Not arguing wth you there, Ese," Blue Beetle replied as Raven's soul self vanished and the senior Titans appeared in the living room.

"You sir are one hell of a lucky bastard," Jai laughed as he pointed to Jaime.

"Tell me about it," he replied, slipping an arm around his new wife.

"Charming, the pair of you," Traci Reyes teased, backhanding her husband on the shoulder. Lorena and Milagro both rolled their eyes as Lorena drifted over to Cerdian.

"Any problems?" Tim asked.

"Prison break attempt at Alcatraz," Damian replied. "Nothing we couldn't handle."

"How about you guys?" Chris asked.

"No problems," Cassie replied quickly as several of the senior Titans glanced to the side or blushed.

"We missed a party," Lian snorted.

"Fitting in alright?" Lorena asked Cerdian in Atlantean.

"Wonderfully actually," he replied. "I can see why Dad loves this team so much," he added with a smile.

"Oh no, there's only two more episodes left after this, aren't there?" Traci asked when she realised where they were in the series.

"Yepper," Jai replied.

"Remind me to be glad Tam's not here," Tim stated as he flopped down near Damian on the sofa.

"Indeed," Damian agreed. There was some shuffling around as the teenagers made room for their mentors to join them.

Cerdian knew what was coming from what his father had told him so he was prepared. Lorena leaned her head on his shoulder near the end and was sniffling as she fought back tears. Cerdian wrapped his arm around her shoulders as she cuddled up to him. Since the return of Poseidonis, Lorena had quickly become like a big sister to the young man. Around the room he noticed that there were similar scenes unfolding with his new team. Cerdian mused over what his father had told him countless times about the Titans. Other superhero teams were just that, teams. The Titans were indeed a family. Cerdian let his head rest atop Lorena's as the final episode ended.


	25. Mother

Mother.

_A/N: This is what happens when the shrivelled, twisted, and half dead thing that is my maternal instinct, twitches. I write about the relationships that the kiddies have with their Mums._

_**Talia**__ – The failed experiment._

Damian mentally cursed the woman and her training. She was nearby, that much he knew. Where exactly he wasn't sure and that burned him. His adversary was deadly and she had him caught in her trap. "Don't toy with me, child. I know you're awake," Talia's dulcet tone rang from directly across the cavern. "I didn't beat you that hard." Damian only replied by spitting a wad of blood from his mouth. "I see that you've lapsed to the ways of the rest of that filth that your father coddles."

"They're good fun," Damian wheezed. At least three ribs cracked. Alfred would not be happy about tending to those. "Especially…especially once you…get to know them," he finished with a wince.

"Dull primitives do not warrant my time," Talia purred. "You however, I think I can spare a moment or two for."

Damian scoffed. "And you call my family 'filth'. Look in the mirror," he hissed.

He really hoped that his mind hadn't played tricks on him. Talia had him bound and unable to defend himself from her rage. He could just make out Talia's form reaching for something long and metallic. His sword, he figured, as she stalked towards him. A loud crack resounded throughout the cavern and Damian saw his mother crumple instantly. The field of view before him suddenly became dark grey, save for the blacked out bat symbol in the centre.

"Hi," he managed as he was freed from his bonds.

Strong arms caught him and as gently as possible picked him up. A feather light pressing of lips to his hairline was the last thing Damian was aware of as he slipped into unconsciousness in his father's capable arms. Damian knew that he was safe now. His father would tend to him and his siblings would deliver a harsh message to his mother and her lackeys. He really hoped that one of them would remember to grab the sword. He was rather fond of it.

_**Ursa & Lois**__ – Darkness that faded into Light._

All Lor wanted was for the darkness to go away. The harsh words spoken through clenched teeth or the occasional scrape of nails across his cheek if he said the wrong thing. The General and Ursa were bickering again. Lor curled his knees up to his chin and hugged his legs. Hopefully they'd forget about him for a while as they exchanged bitter curses and dark vows of violence.

"Hey," a soft voice sounded. Lor blinked in confusion. The bickering faded along with the darkness surrounding him.

"Hey…you okay, Slugger?" he heard. "Chris?"

"Huh?" Chris Kent blinked again. The visions from his past disappeared to reveal a concerned and loving face. "Oh…hi Mom. I spaced out didn't I?" he asked as he let his legs slip from his grasp.

"I'll say," Lois replied as she took a seat beside him on the sofa. "I came home expecting to find you doing homework or something," she said. "Not curled up into a little ball looking lost and alone," she added, smoothing back his soft brown hair.

Chris inhaled deeply through his nose and sighed. "I guess I'm tired," he murmured. "I was reading…something for class and the next thing I know I'm back in the Phantom Zone."

"Tell you what," Lois stated as Chris rubbed his face in exhaustion. "Your Dad's bringing home take out. Why don't you go wash up and change into your PJ's." She stood up and tugged on his shoulder. "Leave it for tomorrow," she said as Chris looked at his homework.

That seemed to perk him up and he stood at Lois' insistence. "Thanks Mom," he said through a lopsided smile. He wrapped his arms around her small frame and hugged her for a few moments.

"Anytime Buddy, now go on," she said, placing a light swat to his hip. Chris did as he was told and laughed a moment later when he could hear Lois complaining that he'd grown again.

"I swear 'Lor' means 'grows like a weed' in Kryptonese," Lois muttered under her breath.

"I'm pretty sure Ma would agree with you," Clark teased as he opened the front door.

"Oh don't you start," Lois huffed playfully.

Chris knew that the exchanges about to take place were loving and caring, not the hatred filled bile of his youth. He chuckled when he could overhear his parents teasing each other about a story one had gotten up on the other, at work. Splashing cold water on his face, he towelled off and went to join them in the bright warm kitchen.

_**Jade **__– We make do with the hand life deals us._

The assassin watched in cool calculation as the waiter nervously placed the two orders on the table. Satisfied that the orders were correct, she dismissed him to cower in some dark corner as far from the assassin and her daughter as possible.

"I wonder what he did to piss Oba-san off?" Lian mused as she reached for the elegant teapot.

"I'm sure she'll be here to tell us all about it, once she's done wringing every dime out of those business goons downstairs," Jade replied, watching as her daughter poured the tea. Lian replaced the teapot and bowed her head before her mother. The two picked up their cups and sipped before Jade set hers back down. "Your form is flawless," she complimented.

Lian cocked a wry eyebrow as she took a second sip. "Ask Oba-san how many bamboo switches she's cracked over my knuckles to make sure that my form is flawless," she snorted. Jade grinned and flexed her own fingers ever so slightly.

"I'll be sure too," Jade teased. She picked up her chop sticks and debated over which morsel to begin with. "So how's your father?" she asked, selecting a piece of anago.

"The usual," Lian smirked. "He and Grandpa Ollie are hooking up with some old buddies, for beers tonight." Lian let the tip of her tongue poke out and moisten her lips as she selected a piece of unagi.

Jade and Lian continued making small talk as they ate. It had become a habit for the two to meet every once in a while, while Lian was in San Francisco for her Titan's weekends. Jade would tell anyone who dared asked if she had regrets, that she had none before leaving the person writhing on the ground. She had one and only Roy knew about that. Jade regretted that she could not have been a mother to their daughter, but as Lian had grown, she had reached out to make amends. Lian finished the story she was telling and Jade smiled softly.

"Speaking of your little bird friend," Jade said. "I heard that the corpse bride wants revenge for a recent 'injustice', as she's calling it," she added.

Lian rolled her eyes. "Talia's just pissed because her little bird's flock handed her ass back to her."

"So I heard," Jade smirked. "Still, she knows the rules. I leave your goodie-goodie friends alone…her son included. And she stays as far away from my Little Willow as possible."

Lian knew that tone in her mother's voice. Talia wasn't going to get near the Titans if Jade had something to say about it. "At least tell me when and where so I can sell tickets."

"I'll think about it," Jade teased. A soft shuffling sound caused the two to glance to their side with mirrored smirks on their faces. "So what did that one do?" Jade asked as the elderly matron joined them.

She held a hand up towards Jade as she watched Lian pour a cup of tea for her. "He skimmed the till," she replied, satisfied with Lian's etiquette. "So for punishment I had him serve you. He just quit," she added.

"You didn't serve his balls to him on a platter first?" Lian asked.

"You're slipping," Jade added. The two were suddenly wincing and shaking sore hands.

"Where the hell does she keep those things," Lian muttered as Oba-san set aside two broken bamboo switches and readjusted the sleeves of her kimono.

"Never trust ninja matriarchs," Jade growled.

"Never trust Vietnamese assassins," Oba-san smirked. She chuckled as mother and daughter both conceded her point in an identical fashion.

_**Linda **__– Never too old to hug._

"It's basically a walk in fridge," Jai stated as his sister looked back at him from the florist's cooler.

"So? It's Mom's birthday," Iris shot right back.

"Fine," Jai sighed and joined her. The cold hit him and he shivered. "Please tell me you know what you want," he muttered.

"Yup. Here, hold these." Iris grinned when he yelped as the cold flowers brushed his skin. "Okay, these and we're done."

"Thank you," Jai sighed. He rubbed his arms to warm them as his sister and the florist arranged the large bouquet of pink roses, carnations, and freesias. "Oh thanks! That looks cool!" he added when he saw the arrangement take shape.

"That's perfect Janey, thanks!" Iris grinned once the flowers were arranged.

"You guys giving them to her on air?" Janey asked.

"Oh yeah, be watching towards the end of the lunchtime newscast," Jai grinned. He handed Iris his wallet and carefully lifted the heavy vase full of flowers.

"Eh…thirty bucks," Janey told them, giving them a huge discount.

"And that's why we keep coming back to you," Iris laughed. The twins called out their thanks again and headed for the car. Iris got in and carefully took the bouquet from Jai. "Okay, they just went on air," she said, once Jai had got in and started the car.

"Plenty of time," he grinned and drove to the television station.

The director spotted the twins and waved them over. Linda and her co-anchor Chelsea were wrapping up the broadcast when Linda spied Iris and Jai. Chelsea chuckled as she gave the date and added that it was Linda's birthday. "And a surprise just walked in for our birthday girl!" she announced. Linda covered her face with a hand as Iris and Jai came over to the news desk with the bouquet.

"Happy Birthday, Ma," Jai said and leaned in to kiss her cheek after setting the flowers down.

"Happy Birthday, Mom," Iris added, wrapping her arms around Linda's shoulders to hug her from behind.

"Aww thank you," Linda murmured, blushing profusely.

"We'll see you at five o'clock tonight," Chelsea said to the camera.

"And, Cut!" The director laughed.

"Thank you for being presentable," Linda teased Jai, who was dressed in a polo shirt and khaki shorts. Jai pointed to his sister who was still leaning on the back of Linda's chair. "Thanks Irey," she added, patting Iris' hand.

"You should have seen what he wanted to wear," Iris teased.

Jai grinned as Linda shook her head. "I can imagine."

"You bought me that shirt," Jai reminded his mother. Linda leaned her head back and howled in laughter.

"Because that shirt is so you! The censors would have had a fit if you had worn it here," Linda laughed.

"Who says he didn't?" Iris chuckled. Jai peeled his polo off to reveal the crude tee that had Linda and most of her co-workers laughing.

"Please, he didn't wear that on-air?" Wally asked as he came in and joined his family. Jai shook his head and tossed the polo to his father. Wally caught it and sighed as he rounded the desk to hug his wife. "Happy Birthday, Babe! And for your birthday, me and the kids wrangled the rest of the day off for you!"

"Huh?" Linda gaped.

"Yep. You have the rest of the day off, Linda," her boss told her. "Now go have fun with your family."

"Cool! Lunchtime. I'm starving!" Wally declared.

"Me too!" Iris cheered.

"Me three," Jai grinned.

Linda sighed and looked over to her boss. "And that's why I'm not giving up the top anchor job anytime soon," she stated. "Let's go," she added, after hugging Iris and Jai. Jai grabbed the bouquet and followed his parents and sister out of the building.

_**Bianca **__– How to handle heroes._

Bianca Reyes drummed her fingers against her arm as she considered the two before her. One was missing. "Milagro?" she called out.

"Just a minute," Milagro called out from the bathroom. She came out a moment later with her hair pulled back into a loose bun. Her Green Lantern ring was in her bedroom. "Alright…let's have it," she sighed as she joined Jaime and Traci across from Bianca.

Bianca gave her a sharp look before regarding the three young charges that lived under her roof. "I know that it's your job to do the hero thing," she started. "But when it makes the international news, I get scared. So does Berto, and you know what that does to him."

Jaime sighed. "It was either take off and help the federales, or stay here while the Sinaloas made it all the way to the Border-Plex and shot everything to hell," he stated.

"They were serious this time, Mami," Milagro added.

"What they said," Traci shrugged. Though not part of the family technically, Traci 13 did have a room at the home and abided by the rules just as the Reyes siblings did.

"I know, I know," Bianca sighed. "But it's the Sinaloas. They terrify me. I've seen firsthand at the hospital what they'll do to people, given half the chance." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Gracias for stopping them and muchas gracias for not getting hurt in the process," she added. "Now get to it," she ordered. The trio gave her a salute off their brows and headed for the kitchen.

"As 'punishments' go, it could be worse than making enchiladas from scratch," Traci mused, as she and Milagro each took a boiled chicken and began to shred it by hand. "And they're still nice and toasty inside," she added with a hiss.

"Yeah, but what superheroes get punished for saving two whole cities from a psycho drug cartel?" Milagro huffed.

"Us," Jaime scoffed as he began shredding the first of three blocks of cheese.

"Gracias for saving us. Now go and suffer to make your own gratitude enchiladas," Milagro muttered. "And no powers."

"I heard that," Bianca called out from the sitting room where she was curled up with a book. The trio in the kitchen shared a look and returned to their tasks. Bianca glanced towards the kitchen for a moment and considered. She did find it a little odd to make them work for their favourite post victory feast, but it kept them grounded. That she could live with.

_**Dolphin **__– As I stare at my reflection._

The light of the transporter faded and Cerdian reached out with his magical senses to find his father. It was late in the evening in Poseidonis and Garth had retired for the night. Cerdian could tell that he was still awake, so he swam towards his father's chambers. Garth was sitting cross legged in bed when Cerdian arrived and looked up fondly as his son waved a hand to change his costume into his sleep attire. Settling against the foot of the bed, Cerdian returned the greeting his father had given him.

"Anything interesting happen?" Garth asked, glancing down at the papers he was working on.

Cerdian chuckled as he ran his hands through his long silvery white mane. "I found out that I'm the eldest as well as the youngest…if that makes sense."

"It does," Garth smiled. "I went from being the youngest among my group of Titans, to being the eldest by far. Atlan's dimension does that."

Cerdian made a small noise of agreement. "Lian said that the reverse happened to her. Something about being lost for a while," he frowned as he tried to recall what his teammate had briefly murmured. Garth set his papers aside and focused on Cerdian.

"Lian had been killed," Garth explained what had happened and how overjoyed he'd been upon seeing that she had returned from beyond the grave. As Garth spoke, Cerdian caught his reflection in the polished shell headboard. Something else Lian had mentioned came to mind as he studied his smooth reflection next to his father's more angular features.

"Lian also said that she met Mother once, very briefly," Cerdian added. Garth chuckled fondly at the memory.

"At our wedding. Your mother was heavily pregnant with you," he replied. "Lian is one of the privileged few surface worlders to have seen Poseidonis before the Spectre…" Garth trailed off. Cerdian nodded in understanding and rubbed absently at a ragged scar that ran from the side of his neck over to his shoulder. Garth swallowed when he saw the action and thought back to the massive block that had caused the scar. The piece of the palace that had taken Dolphin from them.

Sensing his father's melancholy thoughts, Cerdian spoke up. "What was she like? I mean I have a pretty good idea of what she may have looked like," he said waving a hand to indicate his own features.

"Fiercely independent," Garth murmured after a moment. "And awfully stubborn. Two traits you also inherited from her," Garth smiled wryly.

"Really? I just thought that was natural youthful rebellion," Cerdian commented.

Garth was shaking his head. "Not by a long shot." He considered for a moment before continuing. "I have to admit though, that I'm glad you're not quite as free spirited as your mother was." Cerdian cocked a curious eyebrow at that but Garth said nothing more on the subject.

"You miss her?"

"I do," Garth nodded. Cerdian sensed more and said as much.

"But not nearly as much as Tula?"

"Forgive me," Garth murmured around the lump in his throat. "But I don't miss Dolphin as much as Tula."

Cerdian floated up and swam over so that he was leaning against the headboard. "It's alright. I'm not arrogant enough to proclaim that I know what it's like, but I do understand," he offered. Garth reached out for his son's hand and brought it his lips where he murmured his thanks. "So what exactly did Mother look like?" Cerdian asked after a while.

Garth released his son's hand and leaned back next to him. "I think you can fill in the colouring yourself," he suggested as he conjured an image of Dolphin in the water before them.

Cerdian cocked his head to the side and frowned a little. "You both have curly hair but mine's straight. How's that work?"

"No idea," Garth admitted.

The image shimmered and began to dissolve in the gentle currents flowing through the room as Garth told Cerdian more about his mother.

_A/N: pt 2. Damian suffers beautifully? _

_Chris' life has gone from utter darkness to bright light, as reflected by the two women that are his mother in one sense or another._

_I can see Jade and Lian having more of a friendship relationship than one of mother/daughter._

_I used to do this all the time for my Mum's birthday. Makes sense to have the twins do it as they have one of the most normal families of the lot._

_Mi amiga Adrianna, had her kids do this when they did something really brave but really stupid not too long ago._

_The idea that got the whole story going. While he grew up without her, Dolphin is still Cerdian's mother. Unfortunately not everyone gets to grow up with their mother present and I wanted to reflect that._


	26. Nightmare

Nightmare

_A/N: Ever have one of those frighteningly real dreams? The kind where it takes a while upon waking to determine if it was real or not? Yeah…this is my reaction to Batman Inc #8…damn you Morrison. Spoilers for that issue if you haven't seen it yet._

The two with the keenest sense of hearing will describe the sudden cry differently. The Kryptonian will tell you that it was a cry of pure fear. The Atlantean will murmur softly that he'd never heard such pained loss before. Both will remember it for the rest of their lives and all because of a dream.

The two kindred spirits will recall the story differently. The assassin's daughter will tell you that it was the result of exhaustion. The champion of Oa will tell you that it was the result of a dark fear. Both will remember it for the rest of their lives and all because of a dream.

The two who shared her heart will understand completely. The twin will know the fear because he knows her. The beloved will know the fear because he knows himself. Both will remember it for the rest of their lives and all because of a dream.

The vivid nightmare ended in the only way it could, with a blood curdling scream ripped from the very soul of the tormented. Chris' heart nearly stopped when he heard Iris scream across the hall. He was out of bed and out of his room before even being fully awake. Something was wrong and Iris needed help. He saw the red blur erupt through her door and caught her in her mad dash from her own room.

"Irey? Irey, wake up," Chris said making sure he had a firm hold on her.

"No," she repeated softly over and over again. She began to vibrate. Something was holding her, keeping her from escaping the terror.

"Irey, you have to stop," Chris warned. "You're going to do us both some serious damage."

"Irey?" Cerdian gasped as he ran from his room. "Chris, what's wrong?"

"I don't know," he hissed. "She won't wake up and she's trying to vibrate out of my grip. I need help."

Cerdian nodded and raised his hands up as he approached. "Peace Irey," he murmured. He placed his hands on either side of her head and concentrated. "Let peace wash over you," he murmured. "Rise above the tormented tides and come back to us." Magic flowed from his fingertips as Cerdian tried to calm Iris down. The bones in his wrists cracked in protest as they were buffeted by her violent shaking. "Yes, that's it. Come back to us…you're almost there." Lian, Milagro, and Jai had all dashed from their own rooms as Cerdian worked to bring Iris back to reality.

"Huh?" Iris sobbed as she slowly came back to her senses. "Chris? Cerdian…what's…I don't…where am I?"

"You're in Titan's Tower, Chica," Milagro offered softly.

"Bad dream?" Lian asked, concern written on her elegant features.

"Irey," Jai murmured, reaching a hand out to her. "You're okay," he assured as he attempted to coax his sister into his embrace.

"Iris?" Damian asked. She froze halfway towards Jai when she heard him. Turning cautiously in case she had imagined it, she slowly glanced behind her towards the end of the hall.

"You're alive," she managed to get out in a choked whisper. Damian slid one foot back to brace himself as Iris raced towards him and launched herself into his arms. "You're not dead. It was so real."

"Shh," Damian soothed. He felt her go slack a little in his arms and bent to pick her up. "It's alright. It was only a dream."

"Is she like this when she has nightmares at home?" Lian asked Jai.

"Nope," Jai replied. They winced when they heard the popping and creaking of Cerdian's wrists as he rotated them to pop the bones back into place.

"Sorry," he offered sheepishly. "I sensed loss when I was calming her. Tragic loss," he added. The look in his glacial blue eyes was deeply haunted, as he could almost recall the last time he knew of such grief.

"Well that's a no brainer," Chris stated. "I guess she dreamed that he was dead." Milagro cringed and stepped away from him as he shifted around to ease his own bones back into place.

"Was she trying to vibrate out of your grasp?" Jai asked, wincing at a particularly loud pop.

"Yeah," Chris replied as Cerdian nodded. "It wasn't controlled though so we just got banged up. She'll probably be bruised to hell."

"And it'll be gone in an hour," Jai sighed, turning to watch as Damian carried his sister towards them.

"You are both alright?" he asked. Chris and Cerdian nodded that they were fine. "Thank you for helping her," he added, tapping the door control with his elbow to open it.

Jai slipped past Damian and Iris, into her room to rearrange her strewn bedclothes as the others shared a glance before joining them. Damian placed Iris on the bed and Jai slid in next to her. She immediately sagged into his embrace as he nuzzled her hair. Damian sat on her other side and took her free hand in both of his as Lian and Milagro both sat at the end of the bed. Chris leaned against the desk as Cerdian pulled out the desk chair and straddled it, leaning against the chair back.

"Do you remember it?" Damian asked. Iris shakily nodded her head. Jai was about to ask his twin if she wanted to talk about it when she quietly spoke up.

"I was on the Watchtower," she murmured. "Helping you and Oracle coordinate the troops," she said, looking up at Jai.

"I have the feed, Oracle…wait," Kid Flash muttered. She could see Robin racing across the rooftops in an effort to catch up to the massive figure shrouded in white. Assassins and gangsters were firing relentlessly against each other. Semi automatics and crossbows took equal casualties as the deadly hail of projectiles flew through the air. Robin was only concerned with catching up to the shrouded figure responsible for the war raging through Gotham's streets.

Robin stumbled as he was hit, but he continued his heated pursuit despite the pain in his now useless left arm. Another hit and then another. The fourth brought him to his knees momentarily as the arrow hit him in the side. Blood dribbled from between clenched teeth as he rose to his feet and ran on. His target was in range. Drawing his sword, Robin leapt towards the mastermind of the madness, his aim true as he intended to kill. The shrouded figure wanted victory and swung around, raising his own sword and giving a small menacing smirk as his attacker was helpless in preventing his own death.

On the Watchtower, Kid Flash began to tremble. Robin hung lifelessly from the broadsword. The shrouded figure raised a foot up to kick the corpse off his blade. Robin fell off the edge of the low roof to the ground below. Batman ran in a panic towards his lifeless son, cradling him to his chest. On the Watchtower Kid Flash began to scream.

"The next thing I know, I'm in the hall with you two," Iris trailed off, looking at Chris and Cerdian.

"It was just a dream," Damian assured her.

"But it seemed so real."


	27. You Are Cordially Invited

You Are Cordially Invited…

_A/N: For all you Irey/Damian fans reading this. *eyeballs All Knowing 1, Mutou Yasu, and a few others*. _

Wallace Rudolph West looked at his reflection in the mirror and sighed. "I can't do this," he whined.

"Sure you can. Your wife and daughter will kill you if you screw this up," Jai teased, reaching over and arranging his father's hair into a more stylish fashion.

"You're not helping, Bud," Wally stated, glaring at Jai's reflection.

"Technically not my job. Though I do have the popcorn ready in case you choke and Mom and Irey proceed to choke you," Jai grinned. He stepped back and folded his arms across his chest as he studied his father's appearance.

"Whose side are you on?" Wally asked, turning to face Jai.

"This is my twin sister and best bud we're talking about here…you figure it out."

Wally let his head fall forward. "I am not ready for this," he murmured into his chest.

Jai grabbed his hand and led him towards the door. "Well too late now! You're the one who said yes, so shut up, suck it up, and let's get this show on the road." Wally groaned as Jai led him across the hall. "Ladies! May I present to you, the most reluctant father of the bride in the history of ever!" Jai crowed as they entered the room. Wally looked up and saw his daughter in her wedding gown and swallowed hard.

"Oh God," Wally groaned.

Iris folded her arms across her chest and regarded him coolly. "Daddy...you back out now and your evisceration will be long, slow, and arduous, and I'll revel in every second of it," she warned.

"I made sure to bring the extra rusty dull knives for that," her maid of honour piped up.

"Thanks Lian," Wally scoffed. "I love when you kids threaten me with death."

"Any time Uncle Wally," Lian smirked.

"They're just teasing your Uncle Wally, Alia," Courtney told her daughter, as she adjusted the girl's dress.

"I know," Alia replied. Her golden eyes danced between Iris and Lian mischievously.

"You're not teaching her anything," Courtney playfully warned the two young women.

"Are you kidding me, Star Chick? She's oozing speed force," Iris retorted. "Someone's gotta show her how to have fun with that."

"We'll show you all about knives when she's not looking," Lian whispered playfully to the young girl. Alia winked at her and then turned to look at her mother in pure innocence. "She's so Bart's little girl," Lian laughed.

Courtney clicked her tongue. "Tell me about it. Oh what was I thinking? Oh that's right, I wasn't."

Jai chuckled as he bent down to kiss Alia's head. "You got this?" he asked his mother a moment later.

"I got this," Linda winked.

"Cool. I'm gonna go deal with my responsibility now," Jai said, giving a salute off his brow as he left the room.

"Sit," Linda commanded. Wally raised an eyebrow at her tone. "Lian?"

"Okay, I'm sitting," Wally said, taking a seat next to his wife. "I don't need to see the knives, Lian."

"Yeah you do," Iris and Lian replied together. Lian was balancing one of the menacing blades on her fingertip and laughing. Alia let a small smirk grace her lips as she watched.

"Would you two stop encouraging her, please?" Courtney playfully scolded.

"No," came the twin replies.

Jai let the heavy oak door close behind him as he entered Damian's room. "You're looking remarkably cool and collected," Jai grinned. Damian was sprawled elegantly in an armchair near the window.

"I feel like I want to vomit," Damian replied.

"Well, you hide it well," Jai sighed. He went to his bag and produced a bottle of vintage scotch. "For the nerves," he added, handing Damian the bottle. "Shut up and drink," Jai commanded when Damian shot him a dirty look.

"You could have least poured it into a glass, like a civilised human being," Damian muttered before taking a swig from the bottle.

"I gotta do something to tone down all this class," Jai smirked, taking the bottle when Damian handed it to him and taking a long swig himself.

"Tt," Damian hissed. He closed his eyes and focused on his breathing. He could hear the contents of the bottle sloshing around as Jai took another swig. The sharp exhale of satisfaction Jai made while closing the bottle for later. Damian took two more breaths and snapped his eyes open. "Let's go,"

"You found your centre pretty quick," Jai commented, slipping on his tuxedo jacket.

"I think that helped, honestly," Damian admitted, as he slid his own jacket on.

Three year old Teejay Drake-Wayne spotted his uncles coming down the stairs and pulled at his aunt's hand. Cassandra smiled fondly down at the boy as he led her towards Damian and Jai. "You both look immaculate," she complimented, while Damian ran a fond hand over Teejay's curls.

"Looking pretty smoking yourself, Cass," Jai replied, picking up Teejay.

"Indeed," Damian added.

"It means; that she's so pretty she looks like she's about to burst into flames," Jai informed Teejay when he stared at Cassandra in deep concern.

"She won't though?" Teejay blinked wide blue eyes at Jai in hope.

"No," Cassandra smiled. "Five minutes?" she asked Damian.

"Yes, thank you," he replied, hugging her and placing a kiss on her brow.

"May I go see Aunt Irey please?" Teejay asked, watching Cassandra head upstairs to where the bride was.

"You get to see her the same time I do," Damian offered. That seemed to appease Teejay who grinned in acceptance. As they neared the front of the hall, the boy spotted his parents and waved at them shyly.

"Hi Baby," Tam called out, waving back to him. Tim returned the same shy wave to his son and gave him a wink.

The officiant greeted the three of them as they came to stand before her. Jai set Teejay down and crouched down so that he was eye level with him. Reaching into his inner breast pocket, Jai retrieved the rings and had Teejay hold out his hands. "Okay, you keep those safe until the nice lady asks for the rings," he instructed as he carefully placed the rings into the boy's hands. Teejay curled his fingers around the rings and gave a solemn nod. "I'll back you up," Jai promised as he rose to his feet.

Damian took a deep breath when he spied Cassandra quickly glide down the stairs and nod towards the string quartet. Glancing at his father, he mouthed his thanks when Bruce gave him a reassuring nod as the musicians began to play. The next to come down the stairs were Courtney and Alia. At the bottom, Courtney gave Alia a brief hug and went to join Cassandra. Alia could be seen counting to three before she began walking down the aisle, scattering rose petals in her wake. Damian forgot how to breathe when he saw Iris come downstairs next, flanked by Linda and Wally and followed up by Lian.

Jai leaned close to whisper in his ear. "Break my sister's heart and you're dead," he vowed.

"I expect nothing less," Damian replied, before shutting everything but Iris out. She wore an elegant strapless sheath and her fiery mane hung down her back in a riot of loose curls. Everything about her spoke of ease and grace as she seemed to float down the aisle. It wasn't until Wally spoke that Damian began to let the rest of the setting come back into focus.

"Her mother and I do," Wally stated, answering the officiant's question of who was giving away the bride. Linda handed Iris' bouquet to her as Wally lifted the veil from her face. Iris gave both her parents a kiss and watched as they took their seats, before turning to face Damian. Lian took Alia's hand and led her to the side of the couple across from Jai and Teejay.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the joining of these two souls in matrimony," the officiant began. Iris and Damian had written the ceremony together and were able to tune everything but each other out for a while. "May I have the rings?" the officiant asked suddenly. Iris and Damian watched as Teejay walked over to her and put the rings into her outstretched hand. "Thank you," she smiled as Teejay walked back to Jai's side. The officiant handed Iris' ring to Damian first.

"Iris, I give you this ring, as I give to you all that I am, and accept from you, all that you are," he stated, sliding the ring on her finger. Iris smiled sweetly up at him as she accepted his ring from the officiant and repeated the pledge.

"Damian, I give you this ring, as I give to you all that I am, and accept from you, all that you are."

"Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride." Jai and Lian looked over to Jason who held up his hand and counted off to three with his fingers as Damian and Iris kissed. A cacophony of whistling and cheering erupted from the numerous Titans scattered throughout the gathering. Wally leaned back in his seat and howled in laughter as the racket from his teammates drowned out the polite applause from the other guests. Damian shook his head and chuckled as Iris grinned and flashed Jason a thumbs up. He responded by bowing slightly, a smirk firmly in place on his face.

"Family, friends, and great cheering section," the officiant chuckled. "It is my pleasure and honour to introduce for the very first time, Mr and Mrs Damian and Iris Wayne." Jason didn't need to count off this time as the roar was even louder than it had been a moment earlier.

"Shall we?" Damian asked, holding his arm out for Iris.

"Yup. The sooner we get the formal reception over with, the sooner we party!" she grinned, letting him lead her back down the aisle and to the adjacent ballroom that had been prepared for the reception.

A reception of hors d'oeuvres and champagne had been planned for the Gotham elite that had been invited to the wedding. The real reception, as Iris referred to it as, would be held later once the socialites had left. Many of their family and close friends had already departed to their rooms upstairs to go change for the second reception. Linda Park-West spied Bruce standing off to the side as he watched Iris and Damian go around and thank the guests for attending.

"I have to say, as this is the third wedding I've been to that you've hosted, I'm just as impressed as the first two times," Linda said.

"I let them plan it and just throw money at it," Bruce replied with a teasing smirk.

"Good plan," Linda agreed.

"I can't tell you how impressed I am at the way Irey handles crowds," Bruce stated after a moment. Damian simply placed a tender hand on the small of Iris' back as she proceeded to charm the various who's who of Gotham. "She's my go-to at Wayne Enterprises for these things now," he added.

"You're welcome," Linda smiled. "What? You seriously didn't think she got that from Wally did you?" she teased.

"True," Bruce chuckled. "So? Now that your retirement is in place, any ideas?" he asked, teasing Linda.

"I don't know yet. I haven't decided on which of the Bahamas I want," Linda replied, playing along.

"I hear Branson's selling," Bruce suggested.

"Hmm…tempting." Linda and Bruce glanced at each other and erupted in laughter. It had been an on-going joke for over a decade now that Linda only wanted Iris to land Damian for the fortune he was due to inherit.

"Please don't give her any ideas," Wally sighed as he joined them.

"I see you survived," Bruce said.

"You should have seen the knives I was threatened with," Wally replied.

"I did," Bruce smirked. "I helped Lian get them into the condition they're in."

"Figures," Wally chuckled.

Bruce glanced at the clock and smiled. "If you'll excuse me, I have to start kicking some of the guests out soon. I'll join you both outside shortly," he told Wally and Linda. They waved him off and headed up to their guest room to change into more casual attire for the second half of the celebration.

"Thank you so much for coming," Iris smiled politely at the last of the socialites as they were leaving. "It meant so much to us both," she added. Alfred closed the door and she smirked. "I'll race ya," she said to Damian.

"Like that will be fair," he retorted.

"This thing is pretty snug and I'm wearing stacked heels," Iris stated, patting the dress at her hip. "You might actually have a shot." Damian raised a curious eyebrow and Iris laughed. "Ha! Yeah right. See ya!" she teased and bolted upstairs at half speed. Damian laughed as he followed at a more sedate pace. Alfred let the slightest hint of amusement show on his face as he watched the pair disappear upstairs. Knowing that he had been expressly forbidden from doing anything except enjoy himself at the second half of the reception, Alfred went to take care of the hired help from the first part of the day. He would go change later and join the party already in full swing outside.

Many of the family and friends who were staying for the after party had changed and headed outside during the formal reception. Damian and Iris had planned the receptions to cater to the guests according to importance to the couple. Gotham's social elite were treated to canapés and champagne, while their friends and family would be holding a more casual and intimate barbeque on the grounds of Wayne Manor. Bart Allen and Courtney Whitmore were giving their daughter a surprised look when she'd asked why they weren't married.

"Uh, not everyone's parents get married right away," Courtney offered. "You were kind of a surprise that we weren't expecting," she added. Bart snorted a laugh as he recalled how the little girl had come into being. The pair of them had been so relieved that the other had survived a harrowing life threatening crisis, that they hadn't been careful during their intimate reunion.

"Just because I'm a Flash, doesn't mean I do everything fast," Bart added. Courtney's lipstick smeared a little as she bit down on her lips to keep from laughing out loud. "Besides, your Uncle Roy never got married," he pointed out.

"That's because Aunt Lian says that Aunty Donna is too good for him," Alia replied. She gave her parents a bewildered look as they both howled in laughter. "But are you going to get married eventually?" Alia asked.

"We are engaged," Bart reminded her.

"Have you been talking to Uncle Ted?" Courtney asked, narrowing her eyes at Alia.

"Maybe," Alia sheepishly answered her mother. Bart smirked as Courtney rolled her eyes. "When you do get married, is it going to be like this?" Alia piped up. "The party's fun but the wedding was boring!" Her parents shared a look. They had been struggling to decide on how exactly they'd go about their own wedding.

"Courthouse followed by a big bash?" Courtney asked.

"I like that plan," Bart grinned. A loud cheer erupted and startled the family as they turned to look towards the sunroom. The newlyweds stepped outside hand in hand. Damian had a small smile on his face as Iris was pumping her fist in time with the cheers. Damian had changed into black slacks and a white button down with the sleeves partially rolled up. Iris had on a white sweater dress and flip flops. Her hair was partially held back but still loose down her back.

"Aunt Irey should have gotten married in that," Alia declared. "It suits her better." Her parents agreed as Iris called out for Alia and Teejay. Bart set Alia down so she could dash over to the newlywed couple.

"Where are my flower girl and ring bearer?" Iris grinned. She stooped down to snatch up Alia as Damian hoisted Teejay up onto his hip. "Give it up for Alia and Teejay for doing such a great job!" Iris cheered. Alia was pumping her fist in time with Iris while Teejay held both of his arms up in victory as the two three year olds were given their due. The cheers died down and Alia and Teejay were set back down on the ground. Iris leaned down to whisper to the two as she ran her hands over their heads. "Go bug Uncle Wally," she giggled and the two tore off towards her father. Wally caught the two and sat them on his lap.

"There were two others hanging around up there as well," Damian teased. "Where are they?" Jai and Lian were with Cerdian, Chris, and Milagro when Damian called for them. Jai had on a black button down and jeans while Lian was wearing a burgundy coloured tee shirt dress. "My best friend and best man, who also conveniently happens to be the twin brother of my beautiful bride, Jai West," Damian introduced. Jai raised his arms as the crowd cheered, before laughing and hugging Damian.

"And my sister from another Mama and Papa. My maid of honour who had the totally enviable task, at least as far as some of you are concerned, of keeping Daddy in line, Lian Harper!" Iris proclaimed.

"Hey I cooperated!" Wally hollered.

"You're welcome!" Lian retorted right back. She and Iris then did a little hip bumping dance as the crowd cheered and laughed.

"And since this wouldn't have been possible without with some other folks," Jai grinned. "Mom, Dad, c'mon up!"

"You too Uncle Bruce," Lian added.

Bruce took Teejay from Wally as he settled Alia on his hip, while Linda reached behind her for Iris' bouquet. Donna Troy crouched down and got several photos of the parents and wedding party while cheers and applause rang out from the crowd. "Your house, your show," Linda teased Bruce, as she handed the bouquet to Iris.

"Thank you," he chuckled. "Damian and Irey decided that they'd get the usual traditions out of the way first, so you can all party that much faster," he announced.

Lian figured out what was coming and slowly began to make her escape, but Iris snatched Lian's arm before she could slip away. "Heh heh, not so fast," she teased when Lian growled. "Can I get all you single gals up here," she added, indicating an area in front of the sunroom. She spied Milagro lean back in her chair, arms folded and smirked. "Chris, get Mila up here." Milagro glared daggers at Iris as she rose from her seat with Chris' help. He laughed when she brushed him off and reluctantly made her way forward. "Dick, Jase? One of you two drag Cass up here too, please?" Iris asked. She grinned when Jason hoisted Cassandra over his shoulder and carried her forward. "Thanks Jase, you're a doll." Tim was nearly sliding out of his chair in laughter.

"I'm killing you," Cassandra vowed darkly as Jason set her down.

"You've been promising that for years," Jason scoffed.

"Okay…fun time," Iris grinned as she turned her back to the small group of women. Studying the reflection of the group behind her in the sunroom windows, she smirked. Milagro muttered a blue streak in Spanish as Iris tossed the bouquet directly at her.

"Fix!" Milagro hollered as she caught the flowers.

"I've been practicing that for weeks," Iris laughed. "Besides, I was going to hit Lian with them but we've only got one garter belt," she added. Lian narrowed her eyes at Iris as Jai and Chris howled in laughter. Reaching into the top of her dress and pulling the garter from her cleavage, Iris frowned at the raucous noise that erupted. "What? You guys see plenty of action from my legs all the time!" she scoffed at the wolf whistles and cat calls that rang out. "I think you know who your target is," she murmured to Damian as she held out the garter for him.

Damian took her hand and kissed it as he accepted the garter. "I think I can manage," he winked. "Gentlemen?" he called out.

"So how well does Cerdian have that one spell down? The one that turns land dwellers into water breathers," Roy asked Garth.

"He can perform it in his sleep," Garth chuckled, watching as his son was reluctantly dragged forwards.

Damian folded his arms and looked towards Jason with a raised eyebrow. Jason told him to drop dead, which caused him to smirk. "Milagro, if you would be so kind?" Damian asked his teammate.

"Son of a bitch," Jason muttered as green energy wrapped around him.

Chris and Jai snickered as Cerdian sighed and held a hand out slightly. Damian spotted the gesture and smirked, before turning his back to them and taking aim in the reflections cast on the sunroom windows. Cerdian watched as the garter was launched and arched through the air to land on his fingertips. "You almost missed," Cerdian stated.

"Almost," Damian agreed.

"She's actually a real fun kid," Roy informed Garth, who was laughing.

"I hate that tradition," Milagro muttered as Cerdian was shoved up to join her.

"Mmhmm," he agreed, placing a kiss atop her hair. The two had only recently started dating.

"Okay, I don't know about y'all but I'm starving!" Iris called out. "Let's party!" Several Titans were manning the grills as people came up to serve themselves.

Damian cocked an eyebrow as Dick handed him a plate with more food than he could possibly eat in one sitting. "She's the one with the excessively high metabolism, not me," he reminded his eldest brother.

Dick grinned. It was too easy. "You've still got your wedding night ahead of you," he teased. "Trust me, that's a work out." He howled in laughter as Damian turned scarlet. Damian could hear Iris laughing but he didn't dare look at her at just that moment.

"I loathe you, Richard," he muttered, as he quickly remade his own plate with a more reasonable portion for himself.

After a while, Jai and Roy got their hands on a couple of guitars and began playing. Jai whispered to Roy after they finished a song and Roy chuckled. Connor Kent was sitting and talking with Tim and Tam when Jai began strumming alone. His head shot up as he recognised the tune in just the first few notes as one he'd fallen in love with in Hawai'i so long ago. Iris recognised the song almost immediately too and brought her hands up to her mouth as she sniffled. Tears glistened in her eyes and she was smiling as Jai sang the love song in Hawai'ian. Tam was glancing between Jai and Connor and grinning. Connor was mouthing the words. His grin growing wider with pride as Jai didn't once mess up the melodic pronunciation of the exotic language. Connor brought his fingers to his lips and let out a piercing whistle as Jai finished.

Jai set his guitar aside and stood up with his arms raised. "Thank you Metropolis! Oop! Damn, wrong town," he quickly added when the Wayne family started booing good naturedly. The Kent clan were laughing along with everyone else, as Jai accepted their applause.

"When did you learn that one?" Iris asked, hugging her brother tightly. She'd heard the song years ago and had fallen in love with it.

"Ages ago," Jai replied, hugging his sister. "It's my special present just for you," he added. Iris sniffled as she thanked him. "I'm so happy for you. I taught myself that song, because I knew I wanted to play it at your wedding one day," Jai murmured, rocking back and forth slightly with his sister.

"You'll always, always be the yang to my yin…no matter who or what happens," Iris murmured softly.

"Well yeah. It's in the job description for 'twin bro'," Jai teased.

Iris laughed as she took a step back. "Thank you for ruining the Hallmark moment, because it was starting to get to me!"

"Also in the job descript…holy shit!" Iris turned to see what was causing Jai to gape and let her own jaw drop.

"Holy shit is right," she stammered after a moment. Linda, Wally, and Bruce were standing beside the most beautiful wedding cake Iris had ever seen.

Linda waggled her eyebrows before putting two fingers to her lips and letting rip with a loud piercing whistle to get everyone's attention. "Can my daughter and brand new son-in-law get up here, please?" Damian took Iris' hand and led her to their parents and the cake. Iris let go of Damian's hand and launched herself at Bruce, as Damian embraced Linda and then Wally.

"Thank you…for everything," Iris said as she hugged Bruce.

"You have no idea how happy I am to have you as a daughter," he replied so only she could hear.

"Welcome to the family, Kid," Wally offered warmly.

"Thank you for being Irey and Jai's friend," Linda added, as she hugged Damian.

"I am truly grateful to you both," he replied humbly.

Damian reached out for Iris and she leaned against him as he hugged her around the shoulders. "Normally the bride and groom will decide on what they want for their wedding cake, but in this case, we offered to handle the cake as a gift to Irey and Damian," Bruce announced.

"Mainly because we know what he likes, and she'll eat anything," Wally added. Iris leaned back against Damian and laughed.

Damian and Iris were admiring the tiered cake and spotted a pattern hidden in the design at the same time. Iris smothered her laughter with a hand as Damian complimented their parents' creativity. The five tiers were white with a delicate lattice work pattern along the sides. A spray of fondant flowers flowed over one side of the cake. Randomly placed in the lattice work were little robins and lightning bolts. Alfred joined them and presented them with a box holding a solid silver cake slice. Iris kissed the butler's cheek as Damian thanked him.

"Oh how cute!" Iris grinned when she saw the cake slice. Just below the handle was an engraved robin surrounded by a ring of lightning.

"Very clever," Damian praised. "Shall we, my treasure?" he murmured to Iris.

"You've got pictures, right?" Iris asked Donna. Donna smiled and nodded as she prepared her camera to take more. "Relax Mom, we already destroyed one cake," Iris assured Linda as she and Damian prepared to cut the cake.

Damian laughed as he recalled the surprise engagement party their teammates had thrown for them. "That was fun," he admitted.

"Good thing we had two cakes," Iris chuckled.

Flashbulbs went off amid the gathering as Iris and Damian cut the first slices from their wedding cake and turned to face each other. Tenderly they fed each other a bite and Iris smirked. "You got a little something," she muttered, indicating his nose. Damian shot her a wry look when he noticed the hint of frosting on the tip of his nose.

"I wonder however that could have gotten there," he teased, wiping it off with a napkin.

"You'd think there were speedsters or something at this shindig," Iris replied sweetly, licking frosting from her finger.

Cassandra Cain was sitting with Tim Drake-Wayne a while later observing the newlyweds as they laughed with their teammates. "To think that he swore black and blue that he did not like her at all when they first met," Cassandra mused.

"For guys at that age, that's when you know you've got it bad for a girl," Tim chuckled.

"Is that so?" Cassandra teased.

"Oh yeah," Tim grinned. "I heard him go off once about how Irey was the absolute worst thing ever and I knew then, that she had Damian wrapped around her little finger."

Tam wandered over and smiled fondly at the little boy sagging in Tim's lap. "Someone looks like they're ready for bed," she chuckled.

Cassandra and Tim both looked at Teejay as he muttered sleepily that he wasn't tired. "Yeah you are, c'mon Buddy," Tim said, Standing up and adjusting his son. "I've got it," he told his wife when she offered to take him.

"Sleep sweet," Tam said, kissing Teejay's cheek, before taking Tim's abandoned seat.

Tim took Teejay up to his room and was surprised to see the light on. He could hear soft talking and looked inside. Bart had just tucked Alia in for the night and was murmuring to her in Interlac. Bart had told Tim once that he could vaguely recall his mother doing the same thing for him.

"You got a groggy; I'm not sleepy, too?" Tim asked, as he quickly changed Teejay into his pyjamas and tucked him into the second small bed set up in the room.

"Nope. When she's out, she's out," Bart chuckled. He leaned over and kissed her golden curls as he bid her goodnight in his native tongue. Tim bid Teejay a good night as Bart stood up from next to Alia's bed and the two headed for the door. Tim adjusted the light dimmer switch to its lowest setting as the two fathers looked one last time at their sleeping offspring.

"How lucky are Damian and Irey that I knocked Tam up…" Tim chuckled

"About a month after I nearly secured my death sentence from the JSA for doing the same to Courtney?" Bart finished. "They score a perfectly matched flower girl and ring bearer, all because we can't keep it in our pants." The two old friends shared a laugh as they walked back to the party.

"Who knows?" Tim mused. "Maybe for the next family wedding, D and Irey will have provided a flower girl or ring bearer." The two men stopped dead in their tracks a second later.

"You just had the same vision I did, didn't you?" Bart asked.

Tim nodded. "A little Damian clone speed demon wreaking havoc at sub-light speed…yup."

"I need brain bleach," Bart muttered.

"Let's go find Jason. He's bound to have something," Tim suggested as they began walking again. "Even if it is tequila," he added a moment later with a shudder.

"I like that plan," Bart murmured.

"What the hell's wrong with you two?" Jason Todd asked when Bart and Tim found him a while later near the bar.

"We just had the scariest vision ever," Tim replied. He and Bart proceeded to tell Jason about the conversation they'd had and Jason blanched.

"We can thank the Mexican chick for this later," Jason said, reaching for a bottle of tequila he'd hidden earlier. "I had Mila bring it just in case." All three of them took long draughts from the bottle and shuddered. Tim took one more swig and Jason took three more, before Bart finished off the bottle.

"Tell me there's another one in there," Bart pleaded.

"Sucks to be a speedster, Pal," Jason said, handing Bart another bottle.

"Tell me something I don't know," Bart scoffed, before draining the bottle. Tim and Jason both winced as they watched him chug the entire contents in under a minute. "Thanks…I needed that." Tim howled in laughter as Bart set the empty bottle aside.

"All you need now is the sweater that says 'COLLEGE' on it," Jason stated before cracking up.

It was just after midnight when Damian and Iris slipped away from the celebration that was still going strong at the manor. At their apartment in downtown Gotham, Damian swept Iris into his arms and carried her inside. She giggled as he continued on straight through to their bedroom before setting her down again. Damian gave her a wry smirk when she teased him about being impatient as he quickly divested the pair of them of their clothes. While the undressing had been swift, the lovemaking had been slow and sweet.

"So where are they going to think we're staying when they get Jai to hack your bank account?" Iris asked as Damian mouthed the spot between her breasts.

"The Ritz Carlton in New York," he replied.

"And where are we really going to be staying?" Iris purred, as Damian focused his attention on her left nipple.

He glanced at the bedside clock before answering. "We leave in another two hours and it's a surprise," he teased.

"Anything in particular I should pack?"

Damian lifted his head up and thought for a moment. "Not a whole hell of a lot," he answered. "Sunscreen might be a good idea," he added, twirling a coppery curl around his finger.

"Good to know," Iris said. "We better jump in the shower then," she teased. Damian hissed and let his head fall back in pleasure when Iris attacked him in the shower before the pair got cleaned up and packed.

Lian would tease Iris for years to come that they'd returned from their honeymoon in French Polynesia and Iris did not have a single line marring the golden tan she'd acquired while being away for two weeks in the South Pacific.


	28. Snapshots

Snapshots

_A/N: Various attempts to get the kids' pictures taken for posterity. Some of these are from other stories/chapters._

_**Sleep Sweet.**_

Bart Allen groaned as he scratched at his bare stomach. He had been dreaming but he couldn't recall about what. He sniffled as he shuffled for the kitchen to get something to eat. A sound in the lounge made him pause and he peered into the dark to see what had caused it. A grin split his face from ear to ear when he saw the four pre-teens and cat asleep on the fold out section of the sofa. Cautiously, so he wouldn't wake them, he snuck off to find a camera. Bart was relieved when he returned that they hadn't woken up as he climbed up onto the back of the sofa. Looking through the viewfinder, Bart bit his lip to keep from laughing out loud. Jai's tee had rucked up in his sleep and Iris was partially tangled in it as she cuddled up to her brother. Lian frowned in her sleep as she shifted into a more comfortable position. Damian looked the most peaceful Bart had ever seen. His cat Sekhmet was flat on his back next to Damian's head. The bright flash from the camera startled the children and dark vows of revenge followed Bart as he dashed away in laughter.

_**Yellow Butte**_

Jai was driving the land rover with Lian riding shotgun when he saw the sign in northern Wyoming. It was too good to pass up, so he pulled onto the shoulder just past the sign and handed Lian the camera.

"Humour me," he grinned, as they got out.

"Okay," Lian muttered, watching Chris pull the coach onto the shoulder ahead of them.

"I just wanted to stretch out my legs," Jai said as the others got out of the coach and wandered towards him and Lian. Lian was walking back towards the sign to read it. As soon as she did, she knew what Jai was up to and bit her lip to keep from laughing. Who was she to spoil his fun? "Hey Mila? Can you give me a stepladder about so high?" he asked, holding his hand up level with his shoulder.

Milagro cocked an eyebrow at the strange request and then shrugged as she complied with it. "Whatever floats your boat, Ese?"

"Thanking you," Jai grinned. "Hey Chris?"

"What?"

"Is there anyone lurking around? Cops…cowboys?" Jai asked. Lian tasted blood as she clamped down on her lip to keep from laughing. She was kicking his ass for this one later. She spotted the suddenly suspicious looks on Damian and Iris' faces and pointed up at the sign. They ambled over towards her, pretending to take in the view. Damian lowered his face into his hand when he saw the sign as Iris clamped her hands over her mouth to keep from laughing.

Chris meanwhile was giving Jai the most incredulous look as he listened around for any sign of humanity nearby. "There's nothing and no one about for miles…and I do mean miles," he eventually replied.

"Cool! Get ready," Jai grinned as he climbed up the stepladder. "Perfect," he murmured when he saw that his hips were even with the sign.

"¿Qué demonios?" Milagro laughed as Jai unbuttoned his shorts and bent over, exposing his bare behind to Lian's camera.

"Damn it," Lian swore as she aimed the camera to take another picture. "I was laughing too much," she explained to Jai when she said she needed to take another photo.

"What the…oh my God," Chris groaned. He had flown over to where Lian, Iris, and Damian were and figured out what was going on. As did Milagro when she joined them.

"You're sick," Milagro laughed, after Jai fastened his shorts up and leapt from the stepladder.

"And your point is?" Jai scoffed, taking the camera from Lian and plugging it into his minicomputer.

"What are you doing?" Damian asked.

"Hacking the Tower's main computer and changing out the wallpaper," Jai grinned. Damian tried, but he couldn't help laughing along with the others as Jai accessed one of his many backdoors into the Titan's system.

Tim Drake-Wayne noticed the screen flicker behind what he was working on and minimised his program. "What the hell?" A bark of laughter rang out behind him and he turned to see Raven clamping a hand over her mouth.

"I see the kids are having fun," Connor mused. Jai had remotely changed the computer's wallpaper to the photo Lian had taken of him mooning the camera next to a sign reading 'Yellow Butte'.

"That's hilarious," Raven added. Tim gave her a look before looking to Connor.

"You're gonna leave it up there?" Connor asked.

"In the event Wally drops by, yeah," Tim replied, shaking his head and returning to his program. "Look what your son gets up to without any adult supervision," he muttered.

"Wally would do the same thing in his place," Raven stated. Tim and Connor both shrugged a moment later as they agreed with her point.

_**Class Photo**_

Donna Troy heaved a sigh as the seven youths before her paid attention to the stream of water and not her and her camera. "Ah damn it," Jai swore just before the water poured onto his head. "I forgot he could do that," he muttered, pushing wet hair from his face.

"You really thought you could nail him with that thing?" Milagro smirked.

"Worth a shot," Jai shrugged, tossing the water cannon aside.

"Jai, you're an idiot," Lian scoffed from her perch high above his head.

"I was quite impressed at how beautifully it arched through the air," Damian complimented Cerdian.

"Thank you. I was going to add a bit of flourish…for that artistic look, but I decided against it," Cerdian chuckled.

"That had a really cool Matrix slow motion quality to it," Chris added.

"Matrix?" Cerdian asked.

"Amazing sci-fi film with all these neat special effects," Iris explained.

"That I've never managed to get more than twenty minutes into without falling asleep," Damian snorted. "It's dull," he added to the amused look the Atlantean was giving him.

"Heretic," Jai accused, causing Cerdian to laugh.

A polite cough caught their attention and they all focused on Donna. "Hi. Remember me?" she teased. "Cerdian Sweetie, could you dry Jai off?" Cerdian raised a few fingers and removed the water from Jai in seconds. "Thanks. Chris, that's not too much, is it?" Donna asked, indicating the bench he had hoisted above his head where Iris, Lian, and Milagro were all seated.

"They weigh nothing," Chris grinned.

"Okay," Donna said, as she bent to look through her viewfinder. She sighed. "Cerdian, the water bubble is making the light scatter like crazy," she stated. Jai slowly looked up and despite himself had to laugh. The water Cerdian had pulled off of him was now lazily floating directly above his head. Cerdian shrugged and manipulated the water so that it was pressed against Jai's back.

"Dude? Seriously? The cannon's over there," Jai scoffed.

"You were trained by this one," Cerdian retorted, jerking his head to indicate Damian. "You honestly think I trust you?"

A sigh. "Smile!" They did and Donna shook her head as pandemonium broke out in front of her immediately after she got her shot.

The picture she eventually chose was the one that she'd snapped when Jai had initially started the ruckus and fired at Cerdian. The water arching back towards Jai made for an interesting frame around the teenagers.

_**Guitar Hero**_

Ask Chris Kent to describe Jai West to you, and he'll reply with one word. Talented. Then he'll look to the side, a slow smile playing on his face, and add 'Extremely talented' to his original reply. Then he'll tell you that he learned that lesson the hard way as he chuckles fondly at the memory.

"I'm telling you, I can," Jai insisted.

"And I'm saying that high score on our copy of Guitar Hero, does not a musician make," Chris retorted. Chris was relatively new to the team and while he admitted that Jai had surprised him with his array of talents, he wasn't buying that guitarist was among them.

Jai folded his arms across his chest and regarded his teammate. "You ever think that there's a reason I can wipe the floor with you clowns at that game?"

"Uh, you're a gamer nerd," Chris shot back.

"That's it," Jai snorted. "You're gonna be kissing my ass here in a few minutes when I prove you wrong," Jai stated, taking Chris by the elbow and leading him to the lounge.

"What's going on?" Iris asked when Jai stormed into the lounge dragging Chris with him

"I'm shutting up Superdork," Jai stated, letting go of Chris' arm.

Chris folded his arms as he looked at Iris. "Your brother insists that he can play guitar," he explained. Iris gave him a sympathetic look and asked what would happen if Jai proved him right.

"He's kissing my ass…literally…on his knees and kissing my ass," Jai piped up. Jai had a guitar in hand and was fiddling with the amp controls.

"Ooo…pucker up," Iris winced sympathetically. Jai flipped Chris off and began playing furiously.

"Ah shit," Chris chuckled, as Jai played 'Flight of the Bumblebee'. "O…" Jai cut him off with a quickly upheld hand. The tune switched and Iris grabbed the lighter that Raven used to light the candles with. Iris held the flame above her head as she swayed in time with the music.

"Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd," she whispered as Chris stared slack jawed at Jai. Jai was lost in his playing. His eyes closed as he felt his way along the strings. The extended ending solo of the song was always a favourite and Jai loved playing it.

Lian wandered in about halfway through and asked Iris what was going. She quickly patted herself down in search of her smart phone and a lighter that she always carried. Lian prepped the smart phone to take the photo before joining Iris in holding up the lighter and head-banging to the music.

"Wow," was all Chris could get out when Jai finished.

"On your knees," Jai smirked, turning his back to the Kryptonian. Chris laughed as he sank to his knees and leaned forward to kiss Jai's butt. Lian managed to get three shots on her smart phone.

Years later, she would be away at a tournament when back at home, Chris' head was thrown back and he was gasping for air. Beautifully calloused and talented fingers were playing him like an instrument. Jai smirked into Chris' chest as his fingers danced along the straining erection in his hand.

"Let go," Jai purred and Chris did, almost painfully.

Several minutes passed as Chris recovered from his release. "I love that song," he sighed, dragging Jai up to kiss him soundly.


	29. A Kind of Magic

A Kind of Magic

_A/N: The wielder of an Oan power ring, to the average Atlantean sorcerer, her abilities are magic. Green Lantern shows Surge the magic of the universe._

Milagro Reyes flew over the city at a leisurely pace, enjoying the twinkling lights below as night fell. San Francisco's infamous fog was beginning to roll in, so she decided to head home to the Tower instead. As she neared Titan's Island she saw her newest teammate, Surge wandering out onto the roof. He walked to the edge of the roof and sat down to stare up at the darkening sky.

"Hey hola," she greeted as she landed behind him.

"Hola Milagro," Cerdian smiled back.

"Ah…just call me Mila like the others do," she waved off. "'Milagro' comes off as too formal around here and you'll start to sound like Damian."

"I am royalty, so formality is kind of in the job description," Cerdian teased.

"No kidding," Milagro muttered. "Oh hey Chica! That new guy on the team? The really cute one? Gonna be kind of ruling the seven seas at some point! Try not to make a complete pendeja of yourself, okay?" She playfully mocked.

Cerdian laughed. "I don't mind the admiration from the ladies. I am a guy after all," he laughed at the dark look she shot him. "But in all honesty, I neither expect nor demand that you and the others treat me differently because of the title…I'd find it un-nerving actually."

"Okay Ese. Just remember you said that when we introduce you to paintball," Milagro warned him.

"I'll keep it in mind," he chuckled.

"So what brings you out here?" she asked, changing the subject.

Cerdian took a deep breath and looked up. "I wanted to see the stars. I've never seen them before. But then growing up in the ocean in an alternate dimension can do that to you," he chuckled.

Milagro smirked. "We're in a city and that's about to smother everything," she said, indicating the fog that was quickly blanketing the city. "But…you have me on your team. And I can show you more stars than you ever thought could exist."

"Oh?"

"Yeah hang on a second," she grinned and tapped her comm. "Hey? I'm going to show Surge some of the sights on the surface. If you need us, call on the Oan frequencies…si Damian…I know," she rolled her eyes and waved an impatient hand in a circular motion as Damian reminded her of Cerdian's Atlantean limitations. "Okay, great. See you later," she said, cutting the transmission. "Ay dios mio," she muttered. "I need to charge my ring real fast and then we'll go," she informed Cerdian. He watched as she summoned her power battery from the pocket dimension it resided in and held her ring to the power source.

"_En__el día más brillante__, en la __noche más oscura,_

_Ningún mal__escapará de__mi vista._

_Que aquellos__que adoran__fuerzas__del mal,_

_Cuidado con__mi poder__, la luz __de Linterna Verde__!"_

"You recite the oath in Spanish?" Cerdian mused as Milagro sent her power battery back to the pocket dimension.

She shrugged. "I figure 'what the hell?'. My brother talks to his scarab in Spanish all the time." Milagro gave him a wink and he shrugged his shoulders in laughter. "Ready?" He nodded and she aimed her ring at him. "Next stop, the Chihuahuan Desert!"

"Desert?" Cerdian asked, as a green aura formed over them both.

"Don't sweat it. Its night out and not hot or too dry for you," Milagro teased.

"Hold up," he said. "Let me recharge just in case," he asked and she dropped the aura from around them. Milagro watched in fascination as Cerdian stretched a hand towards the oncoming fog and summoned some of it to him. She swallowed at what she considered the beautiful sight of him, as he leaned his head back slightly, his eyes closed as he breathed in the damp air for a few moments. "Okay, now I'm good."

"And we're gone," Milagro stated, reforming the aura around them and taking off into the night.

"You're kind of marring the view," Cerdian commented as they shot across the sky towards the desert.

"What? Don't like surprises?" Milagro teased. The streaks of light below gave way to black empty desert as she slowed and brought them in for landing. "This is my favourite spot," she told him as they landed near a tributary of the Rio Grande. "Look up."

Cerdian did and sank to his knees in reverential awe at what he saw. The words he was murmuring were prayers in Atlantean. Milagro's ring translated the soft offerings before she willed it to stop. Milagro folded her arms across her chest and looked up. Ever since she was little, she'd loved the night sky in the desert. The swath of pale light that was her home galaxy never failed to impress her, and since getting her ring, she valued the sight even more.

"What are the brief streaks of light?" Cerdian murmured so softly, she almost missed it.

"Grains of dust or small rocks burning up in the atmosphere," she replied. "Let overs from when the solar system was created four and half billion years ago."

"They survived all that time, only to," he trailed off.

"Go out in a blaze of glory when they hit the atmosphere," she finished for him.

"How sad," he murmured. She gave him a tender smile and chuckled.

"Sometimes bigger ones make it through. I have a piece at home, I'll show you sometime," Milagro offered. Cerdian gaped at her in surprise. "Chris' abuela has a lot of it and let Lian and me each take a piece last year."

"You and Lian only?"

"Well Lian loves rocks period," Milagro replied. "For me it was a little more personal because there are crystals of a stone inside it that represent babies born in August, like me."

"I'd like to see that sometime," Cerdian said.

Milagro looked to the west and the soft glow created by the night lights of the El Paso and Cuidad Juarez borderplex. "Y'know…my house is right over there…que?" she paused, looking at her ring. "No way, where?" She let the ring lift her hand towards the sky until she spotted what it had detected. "Look!" she exclaimed, pointing to a growing point of bright light in the sky. "Oh how lucky are we?"

"What is that?" Cerdian murmured, as he easily spotted the light.

Milagro grinned as her ring fed her the information it was gleaning from the light. "Seven billion light years away, a super massive star exploded," she explained. "It took the light from that explosion seven billion years to reach us here tonight. You could see that at the tower!"

"That's the death knell of a gigantic star?" he asked.

"Stars are element factories. They create all the elements we know," she grinned. "As they get older, they start making heavier and heavier elements until they get to iron. They start creating iron and they have seconds left before they blow up in a supernova," she added. "During the explosion, stars create all the elements heavier than iron. That," she said, pointing to the light in the sky, "Is the creation of everything we know. The carbon and iron in you and me. The silica all around us. The hydrogen and oxygen that's flowing in the tributary over there," she said, indicating the ground and nearby river. "All of it came from that process." Milagro pointed to the sky again.

"That is amazing when you think about it," Cerdian said.

"Carl Sagan was a scientist who studied the universe in the last century. And he once pointed out the plainly obvious in a beautiful way," she murmured. "We are all made of star stuff."

"We are all made of star stuff," he repeated. "It is beautifully simple," he mused. Milagro's eyes widened in surprise when he placed a gentle hand on her chin and guided her gaze towards him. "Gracias, mi ser hermosa de las estrellas," he purred, and then leaned in to kiss her.

Milagro threw her arms around Cerdian's neck and carded his long silvery hair with her fingers as they kissed. "Usted es la mayoría la bienvenida a mi príncipe azul de los océanos," she sighed when they parted slightly.

She closed her eyes and leaned against him as he hugged her and rested his chin atop her head while he gazed at the countless points of light twinkling above them. Milagro had no idea how long they stayed that way and to be quite honest she didn't care. She felt more than heard his voice when he spoke up sometime later. "We should probably head back," he murmured.

She made a small noise of protest, but lifted her head from his chest. "We can stop off at my house and I'll show you that meteorite piece," she suggested, taking his hand in hers and letting her ring form an aura around them.

"I'd like that," Cerdian replied. Milagro lifted off and they shot toward the lights of the nearby cities. At her front door, Milagro looked up and brushed her thumb across his lips.

"Mami sees my lipstick on your lips, and I die," she stated at his confused look. "And you're going down with me," she added, as he chuckled in understanding. Satisfied that she had erased any evidence of the intimate moment they'd shared in the desert, Milagro opened the door and called out. "Hola?"

"Hola mi hija," Bianca replied from the kitchen. "I thought you were in…whoa," she said when she came out to the front room and saw Cerdian.

"Mami, this is Cerdian of Atlantis. My new teammate, Surge. Cerdian, this is my mother, Bianca," Milagro introduced.

"Buenas noches Señora Reyes," Cerdian greeted.

"Buenas noches a ti también, ¿habla español?," Bianca replied in genuine surprise.

"Sí, lo aprendí hace poco antes de unirme al equipo," he answered.

"I'm impressed," Bianca complimented. "So what brings you here?" she asked.

"He'd never seen stars before, so I took him over to the tributary to go star gazing," Milagro explained as she fetched a glass of water for Cerdian. "And I told him about that meteorite piece, so we stopped off here on the way back to the Tower to show it to him."

"How can you never see stars before?" Bianca asked in complete confusion, as Milagro brought the water out to Cerdian.

"Thank you," he murmured to her. "I grew up under the ocean in an alternate dimension," he added for Bianca.

"Aye…I'm sorry," Bianca muttered. "I didn't even think of that, lo siento," she apologised again. Milagro snickered as she went over to the mantle to fetch the meteorite.

"It's alright," he responded. He stared wide eyed at the treasure Milagro held in her hand as she walked over to him. "That came from space?" he asked in awe, gingerly accepting the piece from her.

"Si. The metal is an iron nickel alloy and the green crystals are peridot. It's the birthstone for August, the month Jaime and I were both born in," Milagro explained.

"Your birthstone's green?" Cerdian mused.

"Yeah, cool coincidence, huh?" she grinned.

Cerdian smiled softly as he focused on the piece. "There's water molecules trapped in here," he murmured a moment later. "I can feel them. There's not enough to make a drop of any decent size, but there is definitely water in this."

"Lian will flip when we tell her that," Milagro grinned. "Gracias," she added when he handed the piece back to her. She went to return the piece to the mantle.

Cerdian concentrated on his glass and Bianca gaped as she watched the ice melt inside. Cerdian saw this and smiled. "I prefer drinking water to eating it," he told her. He drained the rest of the glass and Bianca offered to get him more water. "No thank you. That was good enough for now," he said as she took his glass.

"You sure?" she asked. Cerdian nodded.

"Ready?" Milagro asked as she returned to his side.

"Yup."

"Okay Mami, we're leaving," she called out.

"Okay," Bianca said as she returned from the kitchen. "It was a pleasure to meet you Cerdian and you are welcome here any time," she offered.

"I appreciate that, thank you," Cerdian replied and took her hand to place a chaste kiss to the back of it. "It was lovely meeting you as well."

They exchanged good nights and Milagro led Cerdian outside. They could easily see the light of the supernova in the sky as Milagro encircled them with the aura from her ring and took them back to San Francisco. The fog had stretched all the way across the bay to the Oakland Hills by the time they returned to the Tower. Milagro set them down on the tower roof and let the aura dissolve away into nothing. Cerdian breathed in deeply and sighed as the damp air filled his lungs.

He sensed Milagro turning to leave and reached for her hand. "Tonight was truly magical…thank you," he said as he pulled her close.

"So says the expert," she teased. "Denada," she murmured and sighed as he leaned in to kiss her again.

_La__español_ _bits ^^_

_Gracias, mi ser__hermosa__de las estrellas – __Thank you my beautiful being from the stars._

_Usted es la mayoría__la bienvenida a mi__príncipe azul__de los océanos –__ You are most welcome my handsome prince of the oceans._

_Buenas noches Señora Reyes – __Good evening Mrs Reyes_

_Buenas noches a ti__también, ¿__habla español? – Good __evening to you too. You speak Spanish__?_

_Sí__, lo aprendí __hace poco__antes de unirme__al equipo. __– Yes, I learned it recently before I joined the team._


	30. Future Shocked

Future Shocked

_A/N: The kids meet their kids...and some nieces and nephews._

The portal opened and nine young people fell through. One of the youngest ones, a teenage girl with electric blue dyed hair, sat up with a groan and accessed the computer on her wrist guard. "Uh-oh."

"What's 'uh-oh'…oh ouch," her twin sister said as she zipped over to look at the screen. She was identical to her sister with the exception that she had violet coloured hair. The twins had very distinct Asian features. "Mom and Dad don't live down the coast yet."

"That means that Pop isn't together with them yet," a slightly older male added, reading over the first girl's shoulder. He had black hair and honey brown eyes.

"Can you say 'awkward!'?" the violet haired girl mused.

"It'll be fine," her sister shrugged. "So…Mom, Dad, you invite Pop to move in with you guys soon, to give a three way a shot."

"And you're still giving it one hell of a shot all these years later!" the first twin grinned. The girls shared a look with their elder brother.

"Awkward," all three of them said after a second.

A groan sounded off to their side and the boy glanced over at his teammate. "How you feeling, Red?"

"Like I've been hit by a truck," Red Robin groaned.

"Ese, I have been hit a truck before," another boy wearing Reach armour piped up. "While that portal thing sucked, it wasn't that bad," he added.

Red Robin looked out towards San Francisco and was immediately alert. He turned to the twins and their brother and demanded information from the one with the blue hair. "Quantum…when are we?"

"Well," she sniffed. "Mercury is six months old. You're about five months old. And Nina is going to be giving Aunt Traci one hell of a case of morning sickness any day now, if she isn't already," Quantum replied. "The rest of us aren't even itches in our Dads' shorts yet."

"We're nearly twenty two years in the past?" Mercury gasped.

A girl wearing a black version of the Kid Flash costume let her shoulders sag. "That means that my parents aren't married yet. Nina and Blue's parents have been married for just about a year. Tempest's have only just met," she rattled off. "And Quantum, Velocity, and Daxam…"

"Awkward," the trio repeated. Kid Flash agreed with a nod of her head.

"We can't let them know who we are," Red Robin stated.

"Teej, I hate to tell you this, but if you and I have already been born and Nina's on the way…they're going to figure it out fairly quickly," Mercury stated. "I mean seriously…Aunt Irey will know who I am in a minute and sorry to say but you're pretty obvious. They'll figure you out even faster." Red Robin sighed and ran his gloved hands over his long dreds held back in a loose ponytail.

"What are you worried about?" Nina piped up. "Between Zander and me," she snapped her fingers. "And they'll never remember that we were here."

"It's not that hard a spell to cast," Tempest added.

"I am going to sleep for a month," Damian groaned as the team returned to the Tower after a harrowing mission with the Justice League.

"I'm aiming for a year," Chris said around a large yawn.

"You feel that?" Iris piped up suddenly.

"I sense magic users," Cerdian replied.

"I feel the speed force," Iris added.

Chris closed his eyes and concentrated. "I hear nine heartbeats out in the garden and one of them is alien," he said after a moment. Cerdian told him that one of the magic users felt Atlantean to him. "No I mean alien, like me alien. From another planet," Chris corrected.

Out in the garden, Daxam looked towards the Tower suddenly. "Incoming," he warned,

"You're sure?" Red Robin asked the two magi. They both assured him with a nod.

"Whoa wait a minute…that's," Iris stammered as she and others found the strangers.

"Teejay?" Damian queried, staring at Red Robin.

"Alia," Iris added, staring at Mercury.

"Told ya," Alia smirked. Teejay shot her a look from the corner of his eyes before facing the Titans and removing his mask.

"Got it in one, Aunt Irey, Uncle Damian," he replied. The blue eyes that he inherited from his father stood out in stark contrast to the dark complexion he inherited from his mother.

"You have to admit. Tim and Tam make some damn good looking babies," Iris mused.

"Alia won't argue with you," Quantum teased. Alia and Teejay both shot the girl a look as she waved to them cheekily.

"You're Nina and Reno, right?" Milagro asked Nina and her brother.

"We haven't even been born yet, and you already know our names, Tia?" Reno scoffed as his armour pulled away from his face. Milagro gave the pair of them a look.

"Your parents have had your names picked out for years, Mijo," she replied. "Traci's pregnant with one of you," she trailed off as Nina raised her hand. "I take it that you are your Mama's hija," she guessed.

"I go by Nina 13, in the field," Nina confessed.

"My ring can't identify your scarab," Milagro told Reno.

"Kahji Da two point o," Reno replied. "Or Kahji Dos, as we call him. And before you ask why I have a copy of Papi's scarab…long story short, it was to save my life."

"You're dehydrated," Cerdian asked Tempest in concern.

"A bit," he admitted. Cerdian could hear the hint of Hispanic lilt in his Atlantean accent.

"Zander?" Nina asked her younger cousin in concern.

"Whatever sent us back in time, dried me out," he added, holding a hand up to his head.

"I've got this," Reno stated. His armour reformed around him and he took hold of Zander, flying him towards the salt water swimming pool.

"You two, go with them," Damian ordered Milagro and Cerdian. Nina hugged herself as she watched her aunt and uncle follow her brother and cousin.

"You know the spell, Nina," Alia suggested.

"Si," she replied. "I swear, I'm only concerned for my cousin," she added to Damian. He gave her a nod and she doffed her jacket, tossing it to Kid Flash. "Gracias," she called out, taking off towards the pool.

"Something about him might conflict with your ring," Cerdian was telling Milagro as he held his hands on either side of her head next to the pool.

"My ring's picking it up too, but I don't think I'll be in danger of drowning," she replied with a smirk.

"Humour me," Cerdian asked. They both turned their gazes to watch as Nina dashed by and dived into the pool.

"Oh Hell no! No niece of mine is that bad a diver," Milagro exclaimed.

"Nice form," Reno teased. Zander was laughing next to him.

"I slipped at the last second," Nina defended. "Ay, Tia is going to shred me."

"Exhale, dive in, and then inhale," Cerdian instructed above the water. He dived in and turned to look back up towards Milagro. Milagro let all the air out of her lungs and dived in. She kept her eyes closed as she took a tentative breath underwater, before letting her eyes fly wide open in wonder.

"Get used to it," Zander suggested as he leaned against the bottom of the pool. "You both decide to make that permanent, sometime in the future."

Milagro and Cerdian stared at each other for a second before looking at Zander. "Permanent?"

"A queen's place is at her king's side," he shrugged. "And our people are quite pleased to have a Green Lantern as their queen, I might add."

"Hold up…this chola from El Paso becomes a queen?" Milagro gaped.

"Si," all three answered.

"Take that Tia Lilly! Ha!" Milagro crowed.

"Her mother's sister," Nina told Cerdian as he gave Milagro a puzzled look. "Tia Lilly thinks she's the shit because she landed a rich business tycoon…until her sister's daughter lands the future king of Atlantis. It's a great family joke that you'll eventually understand."

"And not nearly as bad as it might sound," Reno added.

"More of a good natured laugh for Abuela and Abuelo Reyes," Zander assured his parents.

"Future king of the Idyllists, not Atlantis," Cerdian corrected Nina.

"Until Grandfather passes the Atlantean throne on to you," Zander informed his father. "Orin abdicates. And since the only other nobility of any ranking or high standing is Grandfather, he passes the throne to Grandfather. Parliamentary election unanimously backs Orin's choice. Partially because Grandfather already has an heir in you, but mostly because they guess correctly that Grandfather will do one hell of a great job as king," Zander added.

Cerdian sank down to the bottom of the pool and leaned heavily against the wall. "I'm going to be king of all of Atlantis?" he muttered, clearly overwhelmed by the mere thought.

"Someday," Zander answered. "Unless Grandfather decides to abdicate and hand it over to you in the near future."

"Don't sweat it Tio," Reno chuckled. "You're still the same laid back dude as always."

"Should you even be telling us any of this?" Milagro asked.

Nina and Zander shared an amused look as Reno chuckled. "Between the two of us, none of you will ever remember that we were here," Nina answered.

Milagro considered the three. From the brief glimpse she'd gotten of Reno in the garden, she knew that her nephew was a mix of his parents just like his sister. She could see Jaime and Traci in both of their features. Zander looked a lot like Cerdian, only with her darker complexion. His hair was mostly black with just a patch of his father's silver over his right eye.

"I'm assuming that you are just like Traci," she said to Nina.

"No surprises here," Nina confirmed.

"So do you want to explain why my ring is going nuts trying to figure you two out?" Milagro addressed the two boys.

"You first. Yours is more hair-raising," Zander suggested to Reno.

"Gracias pez chico," Reno scoffed before facing his aunt and uncle. "A couple of years ago, Papi and I were walking home from his dental office," he began. "Some drunk pendejo over corrected and drove up onto the sidewalk and hit me with his truck before driving off." Milagro and Cerdian gaped in horror at Reno. "Kahji took control over Papi and fired a tracer at the drunk's truck, before tending to me. I remember seeing one of Kahji's arms come out from Papi's back and pierce me in the chest." Milagro shuddered at the thought. "Kahji pumped me full of these antibody things that rapidly healed my injuries and fused together to reform my spine that had been crushed when I was hit."

"Ay Dios mio," Milagro gasped.

"By Palias," Cerdian swallowed.

"Si," Reno agreed. "My spine is now the strongest part of my body," he chuckled. "Anyway, Kahji had pumped me so full of antibodies that they coalesced to form a copy of him. We call my scarab Kahji Dos."

"The one who hit you?" Cerdian asked.

"Didn't need the tracker, because the dude crashed a couple blocks up the road. I still had enough bruises and scrapes that the cops were able to nail him with hit and run," Reno replied. "If Kahji hadn't taken control and did what he did, I'd be dead. Papi went into shock when he saw me flying after getting hit."

"Oh Mijo," Milagro sobbed. Nina swam over to her and hugged her.

"I'm okay Tia. Just as tough as Papi now," Reno tapped his armoured chest as he spoke. "See?"

Milagro regarded him for a moment longer before letting her gaze shift to Zander. "Your ring is trying to figure this out?" Zander mused, holding up a hand and conjuring a construct of flowers made of Oan energy.

"How are you doing that without an Oan ring?" Cerdian asked.

"You served as a temporary host to the Ion entity when you were pregnant with me," Zander told Milagro. "I was infused with some of the energy in utero. My natural Atlantean magics are stronger, but this does come in handy."

"Wait? I become Ion too?"

"For a couple of months," Zander answered.

Back in the garden, Kid Flash slipped on Nina's jacket and looked to her parents. "Nina and Tempest say they can make you forget all of this, easy enough," she sighed, lowering her mask. Damian and Iris gaped at her as she looked at them both curiously. "You two haven't aged much."

"The speed force does that, Rana hon," Alia shrugged. "My Mom loves it."

"Between Aunt Irey and you, it's why Alfred is still going strong," Teejay added.

"True," Rana agreed.

"She looks…" Damian murmured.

"Just like you," Iris finished.

"She looks like him, but that's about it," Alia smirked. "You make sure of it, Aunt Irey."

"No insane formality?" Iris grinned. Alia and Teejay both shook their heads no.

"Only when I have to get a point across to Father…or to tease you," Rana winked at her mother.

"I can live with that!" Iris beamed. "Okay I have to ask," she blurted, looking at Alia. "Your bodysuit resembles Uncle Max's…"

Alia sighed causing Iris to trail off. With a wistful smile she spoke up. "Time finally caught up to Uncle Max a few years back," she said. Iris felt tears sting her eyes and Alia saw it. "It's okay. He went to bed one night and never woke up again. He was smiling," Alia fondly recalled. "In his honour, I created the mantle of Mercury, and yes…much to Dad's chagrin, I am the Zen Mistress of Speed."

"Alia willingly learned everything Uncle Max taught her," Rana chuckled.

"Do you have siblings?" Damian asked, changing the subject back to his daughter. Rana shook her head.

"I'm an only child," she replied. "Mom had some issues with the speed force when she became pregnant with me, that scared the living hell out of you both…you, um," Rana made a scissor cutting motion with her fingers. "Right before I was born."

"I what?" Damian asked.

"You got snipped," Alia smirked.

Teejay chuckled at the blush on Damian's face. "The speed force made Aunt Irey's pregnancy with Rana dangerous. A solution was found that saved her and Rana. But as neither of you wanted to go through that scare again, you gladly offered to solve the problem."

"The speed force screws things up?" Iris asked, concern written on her face.

Alia took a deep breath before speaking. "The hormone that takes over a mother's body to protect the foetus from being rejected got a little carried away with you. It viewed the speed force as your immune system and tried to shut it down," she explained.

"You fell into a comatose state, unable to stay awake for more than a few minutes," Teejay added. "I was five at the time and I feared you were dying."

"Since the speed force is such an integral part of you, Dad had to take it away from you and host it himself until Rana was born. Uncle Wally couldn't do it because he's your father and it somehow wouldn't let him," Alia stated. "It took you months to recover from not having the speed force within you, that you were nearly seven months along before you could function normally."

"Granted after Rana was born, you demanded that Bart return the speed force to you to aid in your post partum recovery," Teejay chuckled. "You were back to normal after a day."

"The speed force tried to metabolise you," Iris surmised. Rana nodded.

"But! Since we know what to look for now, it's easy enough to help a female speedster have a safe pregnancy," Alia added.

"Which Alia and Teejay are so grateful for," Rana teased. At her parents surprised looks she added. "They're getting married next month."

"Oh Bart and Tim are going to love that," Iris laughed.

"They gave up and resigned to fate ages ago," Teejay chuckled, taking Alia's hand in his.

"So because of all the issues with your mother's connection to her powers…" Damian murmured.

"I am an only child," Rana concluded. "But no worries, Uncle Jai makes up for it." They glanced across the garden at the six individuals regarding each other in curiosity.

"Okay…wild guesses here," Lian said looking at the twin girls and their elder brother. "Speedster, hacker, and," she pointed to Daxam but said nothing.

"Daxamite," he answered.

Chris balked. "We don't have any of the serum…"

"I don't need it," Daxam interrupted. "I don't have the Daxamite sensitivity to lead."

"Mr Terrific and Doctor Midnight have a working theory going that says because Pop found Corey at such a young age, and Mom nursed him until we were born," Quantum was reading from her wrist computer. "That the combination somehow neutralised the lead thing."

"I have a human level resistance to lead," Corey explained. "Just don't eat the lead paint chips and I'm fine," he added with a smirk.

"How old were you when you were found?" Jai asked.

"About six or seven months old," Corey replied. "There was a ship sending out a distress call. Pop, Grandpa, and Uncle Kon were sent to investigate. Pop found me and we kind of imprinted on each other. I was the only survivor on the ship." Jai and Lian both looked at Chris as he studied Corey. "You brought me home and since Mom was already pregnant with these two, she was able to nurse me until they were born."

"We adopt you?" Chris asked.

"Kind of the same way that Grandpa was adopted when he landed on the Kent Farm all those years ago," Corey said. "My given name is Corey Kent. All of my documentation lists you as my father, her as my mother, and Dad as my legal guardian," he added indicating Lian and Jai. "Where on Moon and Tai's papers, it has you listed as their legal guardian, and Mom and Dad as their parents." Velocity and Quantum waved to Chris with identical smiles.

"Your names are Moon and Tai?" Lian asked the twins.

"West," they replied together.

Jai saw movement from Lian and glanced to his side just in time to see her holding a sai towards his loins. "Hey, watch where you point that thing!" he exclaimed, clamping his hands over his groin.

"Hold up Mom!" Tai exclaimed. "We kind of need Dad's junk intact."

"At least until he knocks you up with us," Moon added with a sheepish grin.

"Please Mom? I really do love my little sisters," Corey added.

A blur of violet flashed before Lian and the next thing she knew her sai had been tucked back into her belt. "You knock me up with a pair of speedsters?" Lian growled at Jai.

"I have the meta gene for it," Jai reminded her. "It's dormant in me, but it's still there."

"Technically it should be one and a half speedsters," Tai piped up.

"I'm a full blown speedster," Moon added, tossing her violet hair over her shoulder.

"I'm more like Uncle Owen. I can do short bursts, but I mainly use it to slow down my perception of time," Tai explained. "It lets me be the hacker of the group…and the brains of the outfit."

"Okay," Lian murmured. "Now to address the obvious elephant in the room…the three of us, raise the three of you?"

"Yup," Tai grinned.

"It's Rio Del Mar, Mom. It's full of tree hugging, hippie, surfers." Moon added.

"Our family doesn't stand out by any stretch of the imagination," Corey offered.

"As far as the neighbours are concerned, you three have been rocking the polyamory thing forever," Tai stated. Jai turned to look at Lian and Chris with a smirk, while Lian raised an eyebrow at the three siblings. Chris glanced skywards as a blush grew on his face.

"They believe that Pop and Mom have Corey about fourteen months before Dad and Mom have us." Moon added.

"And all the neighbours around us are anything but your typical nuclear families," Corey stated.

"Mom's a kick ass martial arts sensei, Dad's a video game designer, and Pop's a free-lance journalist," Moon explained. "When you're not being superheroes, of course," she added.

"And you're living and loving it up while raising three great kids," Tai grinned.

"Great," Corey mouthed, pointing at his chest. "Eccentric," he mouthed pointing to his sisters.

"Dork," Tai and Moon mouthed, pointing to Corey.

"We seriously do not stand out from the rest of town," Corey reiterated.

"Okay," Jai murmured. "Um what's with the hair?" he asked his daughters.

"It's Rio Del Mar, Dad," the twins replied in unison. Chris was laughing.

"I really can't figure out which one of you two they take after more," he said.

"Mom," Corey grimaced. "With a bit of Dad's fun streak," he added after a moment.

"And techno-knack," Tai added.

"But mostly Mom," Moon agreed. Lian smirked and narrowed her eyes towards Jai for a moment.

Corey heard motion coming from the pool and turned to see his three teammates walking over, followed by Cerdian and Milagro. "How're you feeling?" he asked Zander.

"Wonderfully, gloriously wet," Zander replied.

Reno headed for Teejay. "The scarab analysed the energy we were hit with and it's chronotron radiation."

Rana removed Nina's jacket and handed it back to her. "Can you and Zander magic us back?" she asked.

"Whoa, Chica…we're powerful," Nina stated, sliding into her jacket.

"Not omnipotent," Zander added.

"There's too many of us for the treadmill option," Teejay mused. Alia nodded in agreement.

"Wait a minute," Tai huffed. She walked over to Reno and held up a small computer jack. "Port," she asked and the scarab on Reno's back complied.

Tai plugged the jack into the opened port and focused on her wrist computer for a moment. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. When they opened, they glowed with golden energy and Tai began typing at super speed on her computer. Moon was reading the screen output and synched with her sister to assist in processing the data. As Tai typed, Moon manipulated the holo-screen. Corey folded his arms across his chest and glanced at his parents. He snorted a laugh when he saw that Chris and Lian were staring at Jai, who was beaming with pride. Iris and Damian also looked over at Jai.

"That's how we're getting home," Tai suddenly proclaimed, holding her screen up for Reno to read.

"That easy?" Alia asked.

"It's complicated as hell," Moon stated.

"The scarab says that it'll work in theory, but he'll need one hell of a charge," Reno told Tai.

"One, two, three, four, and half speedsters," Tai counted off, pointing to Iris, Alia, Rana, Moon, and herself. "How much of a charge does Kahji thinks he needs?"

"You simply stand over there. The four of us race around you to charge up your scarab. Tai monitors the energy input and Kahji takes us home to…three seconds after we left. Give or take a millisecond or two," Moon instructed.

"You might want to armour up for this," Tai added. "Ladies, I need you to hit a minimum of half light speed for this to work," she told the four speedsters.

"You're going to have to brace yourself," Alia told Reno.

"I got it," he replied. He planted his feet and the scarab sent spikes down into the ground to hold him in place. Reno hugged himself and tucked his head down. "Ready."

Tai turned back to look at the others and told them to stand back. Satisfied that they were at a safe distance, she turned back to the five in front of her. "Go!" Reno held his breath as the vortex created around him roared in ferocity. Tai bit her lower lip hoping that her jack would stay put in the scarab as she watched the readings rise. "Almost," she screamed out. Inside the vortex, Reno clenched his teeth so hard, he was beginning to wonder if he'd find himself in his father's dental chair getting some work done to fix any cracks. "Got it!" the vortex died almost immediately as the four speedsters slowed to a stop.

Reno crackled with energy as he slowly looked up. "We have fifteen minutes for Kahji to make the calculations, process all that energy and turn us into a time machine," he announced after a moment.

"It's probably better that we do this inside," Zander suggested, looking to the Titans.

"We're going to have to knock you out for this to work," Nina added.

"We'll be okay," Alia assured the Titans as they took one last look at their future.

"The lounge will be the easiest," Nina suggested.

"Please make yourselves comfortable because you will be going to sleep," Zander instructed. The Titans settled onto the myriad of sofas and tried to relax. Nina stood back to back with her cousin and the pair held up their hands.

"Hypnos, we call on you to allow these warriors rest," they murmured together. Almost immediately the Titans drifted off into deep sleep. The cousins waited for a minute before casting the second half of the spell. "Sleep and forget. We weren't even a dream."

Teejay looked up as Nina and Zander crept outside quietly. "You're sure they'll forget?" he asked.

"At most, they'll feel a hint of a dream that they can't recall," Nina replied.

"They won't remember anything about meeting us," Zander added.

"Let's go, Blue should be ready to send us back any minute now," Teejay said, slipping his mask back onto his face. A blinding flash of bright light exploded in the garden and they were gone.

Later that night, Damian awoke with a groan. "Were we that tired?" he asked, looking around.

"Yeah well, you know it was bad if the Justice league needed our help," Lian muttered.

"I'm starving," Iris whined.

"Holy crap, it's after midnight!" Jai exclaimed.

The following night, Iris and Damian were sitting on the floor in the Tower lounge, looking on fondly at the two infants sleeping between them. "They're so cute," Iris grinned as Teejay and Alia curled up into each other.

"Mind the speedster, Teejay," Damian told his nephew fondly. "If she's anything like her cousin, you're doomed."

"Hey," Iris playfully scolded. "I don't hear any complaints from you."

"No," Damian smiled softly. "This reminds me, I owe you an apology for the atrocious way I behaved towards you when we were younger." Iris managed to smother her laughter so that she didn't wake the infants. "You find that funny?"

"Have you met my brother? All guys do that when they're little," Iris teased. "I knew you had it bad from day one because of the little shit that you were back then."

"I was that obvious?" Iris nodded. "I see," he reached out and brought Iris' hand to his lips. "Iris, I do love you. I've always loved you. I always will love you," he confessed.

"Remind me not to volunteer us for babysitting duty again," Iris replied, as her heart soured in joy.

"Do not volunteer us to watch the little ones again, when the time could be better spent by letting me make love to you," Damian teased. He gladly leaned forward as Iris pulled him towards her. Their lips were a few inches apart when their young charges decided to wake up. "Do you mind?" Damian playfully scolded his nephew. "I am trying to entice the woman I love, into my bed later."

"Pay attention Alia, this is how you land a batboy," Iris smirked. Alia gurgled away happily as Teejay blinked large blue eyes up at Damian and Iris in contemplative silence.

"So, New York?" Lian asked later that night.

"It's far enough from Metropolis and they have a great journalism school," Chris confided. "Because not everybody can take most of their courses by exam," he added wryly towards Jai.

"Most of my degree is programming that I've been able to do since I was nine," Jai defended.

"I don't doubt that," Chris laughed. "So what about you two? Figured out where you wanna go?"

"We're thinking down the coast a bit by Monterrey," Jai replied.

"An old friend of Grampa Ollie's lives down in Rio Del Mar and has an open invitation for me to teach at his dojo," Lian added. "If you're ever bored of the Big Apple, you can move in with us," she teased after a moment. Jai saw the faintest hint of a blush and smirked. Chris replied that he'd think about it, in a manner that suggested that he really wanted a change of subjects.

A few nights later, Cerdian wandered out to the rooftop to try and catch a glimpse of the stars. He'd been feeling a little out of sorts since the mission with the League a few days prior, but he couldn't put a finger on the source. He saw a small light and realised that it was an aeroplane, so he tried to recall where the few stars were that he'd been taught to identify. A green light over the city made him smile as a faint longing stirred in his chest. Almost as if he knew that the source of the green light was destined to be his queen one day. He watched as it changed direction and headed for the Tower. Before long he could make out the shape of Milagro in the light and the stirring in his chest grew stronger. Later that night, as she showed him the wonders of the heavens above, he would give into the longing and claim her lips in a kiss of sheer gratitude.

Nearly twenty two years later, a blinding flash of light erupted in the lounge of Titan's Tower. Red Robin glanced out towards San Francisco and sighed in relief. "We made it. Three point o twelve seconds after we left," Quantum announced.

"And this idiot's not making it anywhere," Mercury stated. She along with Kid Flash and Velocity had rounded up the stranger that had broken into the Tower and sent them back in time.

"Daxam, if you would be so kind?" Red Robin requested. The alien cracked his knuckles and hoisted their prisoner over his shoulder. "Blue go with him." Blue Beetle lifted off after his teammate and the two headed for Alcatraz.

"Dried out again?" Nina 13 winced.

"Not as bad as in the past, but yeah," Tempest replied. "I'll be in the pool."

A while later after Corey and Reno returned from dropping off their prisoner, they were gathered in the kitchen. Teejay looked around at his team and made a decision. "I say we cut it short this week."

"Sold! See ya!" Moon stated, jumping up from her chair. Corey and Tai bid their farewells before heading outside with Moon and racing south towards Rio Del Mar.

"I'll call you," Alia said, standing up on tiptoes to give Teejay a kiss.

"Oh brother," Rana muttered, turning away from her cousin and his fiancée.

"Mama and Dad are in El Paso," Zander stated after feeling for their location with his magic.

"With Mum and Papi at Abuela and Abuelo's house," Nina added.

"That's convenient," Reno chuckled as his sister and cousin teleported them to the extreme west of Texas.

Alia Allen slowed as she came upon the trendy riverfront district in Central City. She sighed in relief when she spied Star Bookstore and headed inside. Courtney Allen looked up from a magazine she was reading and was genuinely surprised to see her daughter. "Hi Sweetheart, you're home early."

"Teej decided to cut it short this week," Alia replied, kissing her mother's cheek. "Where's Dad?"

"He just left to go get us some lunch," Courtney replied. Alia took out her smart phone and fired off a text message telling her father that she was home. Courtney knew from years of experience that something was bothering her daughter and that Alia wouldn't talk about it until both of her parents were present.

Alia's golden eyes lit up when she read the response from her father. "Oh good, got him before he ordered." She typed in what she wanted and sent it to him. "Have you been busy?" Alia asked, looking around the empty bookstore.

"We were earlier, but then the sun came out and everyone headed outside," Courtney replied, resting her chin on her hand and looking at the daughter that so closely resembled her.

Alia arranged books on a cart in order of section and chuckled. "And since the weather's been crap of late, everyone wants to enjoy the sun while it lasts," she said, replacing the books to their proper shelves.

Bart Allen opened the front door and grinned when he saw his daughter. "Hey Honey Bunny," he greeted.

"Hey Daddy," Alia replied as she replaced books.

"We have any customers?" he mouthed to his wife. Courtney shook her head no. Bart flipped over the sign that said the store would reopen in an hour and locked the door. "What's wrong?" he called out to Alia.

"I'm not that obvious am I?" Alia sighed.

"Uh yeah you are," Courtney replied.

Alia walked over to the front counter to join her parents. "We had…an incident," she said. "Thanks Dad," she grinned when he handed her, her lunch.

"What kind of incident?" Courtney asked. "Thanks Babe," she added, accepting her salad from Bart.

"Time travel," Alia replied.

"Ouch," Bart muttered, his fork pausing halfway to his mouth.

"I mean it wasn't that bad. Not really," Alia assured her parents. She went on to tell them everything that had happened in the past. "It's just that they were so young and I wanted to hold them and tell them that everything would be okay," she finished. Bart and Courtney both shared a laugh at their daughter's expense. "What's so funny?" Alia demanded.

"You're the eldest of this bunch of Titans," Bart explained.

"And next to Nina, you're the biggest mother hen," Courtney added. "Of course you'd feel protective of them."

"But they're my aunts and uncles. I grew up with them looking out for me," Alia sighed.

"And they always will," Courtney assured her. "It's just part of growing up."

"I guess," Alia agreed. She giggled when Bart flung his arm around her shoulders and blew a raspberry on her cheek.

An elevator pinged on the upper floors of Wayne Enterprises in Gotham City, causing the executive secretary to look up from her work. She smiled fondly at Teejay and Rana and pointed over her shoulders. "They're in their offices."

"Thanks Raziya," Rana said, giving her a hug.

"Thanks." Teejay gave Raziya's hand a gentle squeeze. She looked over her shoulder at the two and smiled as Teejay ran his hand over his cousin's head before they separated and headed to different offices.

"Hey Baby," Tam greeted when Teejay walked in. "Tim, you are not serious?" she added, reading over his shoulder.

"What's wrong with that?" Tim asked. "Hey Bud," he greeted his son.

"Hey. What are you two working on?" Teejay asked as he wandered behind his father's desk.

"Briefings for our favourite contact sport," Tam grinned, leaning on the desk next to Tim. Teejay laughed.

"When's the board meeting?"

"In an hour," Tim answered, looking up as Teejay read the brief.

"Seriously Dad?"

"What?" Tim demanded.

"Here, let me," Teejay said and pulled the keyboard over. He erased a point Tim had put in and replaced it with one that made more sense. "It pays to graduate high school," Teejay teased, as Tim read the revision. Tam snorted a laugh at her son's teasing.

"It's bad enough that your mother nails me with that one all the time," Tim retorted. "I don't need you doing it too." He looked up as Teejay tucked a dredlock behind his ear and paused. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing really," Teejay replied after a moment. He went on to tell his parents about their excursion into the past. "Uncle D was team leader and he probably wasn't even twenty yet," he explained. "It was just weird seeing them so young."

"Especially as they've always been looking out for you guys," Tam suggested.

Teejay nodded. "When we got back to the proper time, I decided to call the rest of the week off. I could tell that everyone was thinking the same thing. So that's why I'm here fixing Dad's points instead of in San Francisco."

"Ha ha, you're a comedian," Tim scoffed.

"Speaking of comedy, want to sit in on the meeting?" Tam asked.

"My favourite spectator sport," Teejay purred, accepting her invitation.

Iris looked up when Rana walked in and waved to her before holding a finger to her lips to suggest that Rana remain quiet. Rana gave a salute off her brow and quietly walked to her mother's side. Damian extended a hand across the desk, out of view of the video call he was in and waved to Rana. Iris glanced up just in time to see Rana scrunch her face up in silent laughter when she saw the doodles of Lex Luthor, Iris had made on her notepad. Damian raised a curious eyebrow and Iris waggled her eyebrows at him as she held up the pad for him to see. He laced his fingers together and rested the lower half of his face in them to hide his amusement. The lawyer for Lexcorps, on the other end of the video call, was oblivious to the animated silent conversation the family was enjoying.

"And as per usual," Damian stated, when the lawyer finished making his grievances known. "Luthor sidestepped all the legal protocols and that is why Wayne Enterprises secured the Sudanese deal." The lawyer started in on Damian again but he cut him off. "If you have a legitimate case, I suggest you take it up in the courts. Until then, good day." Damian cut the call and looked to his wife and daughter. "Impeccable note taking skills as always, my Treasure," he chuckled to Iris.

"I'm thinking of framing it and running it down to Metropolis for Uncle Clark," Iris snorted.

"Hello my Sweet," he greeted Rana, reaching a hand out to her. Rana went to stand behind his chair and hug his shoulders. "You're home early."

"Teejay decided to call it quits for the week after we had an unexpected trip to the past," Rana said. "We ended up meeting your Titans some twenty odd years ago."

"You did?"

"Seriously?"

Rana tapped the intercom. "Teej, the spell worked."

"Good to know," Teejay replied before cutting off the call.

Rana explained what had happened as her parents listened intently. "It was strange, because you both don't look that much older now, but you were so young."

Damian let a small smirk grace his lips. "I must admit that I occasionally do think of you and your mother as my own personal Lazarus Pit," he mused.

"Oh God, here we go," Iris groaned.

"While I may have taken up Father's name, his cause, and everything else he stands for," Damian offered. "I'm still half al Ghul," he reminded Iris.

"And we forgive you for that," Rana teased, leaning in to kiss his cheek. Damian gave her a hurt look as Iris howled in laughter.

"And while she may look like a Wayne, she's all West," Iris retorted, poking her tongue out at her husband.

"Touché," Damian chuckled. He regarded the video screen and file on the Sudanese deal and frowned. "I'm bored with stupidity today," he declared. "I say we leave. Now," he added, removing his tie and rolling it up to put in his pocket.

"Good plan," Iris agreed, rising from her chair.

"Vege out at the house Day?" Rana suggested as her parents gathered their things to leave.

"Excellent choice," Damian purred.

Traci Reyes and Cerdian glanced at each other across a kitchen table in El Paso. "Incoming," they both warned a second before Nina, Reno, and Zander teleported into the living room.

"Teejay's letting us play hooky this week," Nina stated as she wandered into the kitchen, followed by her brother and cousin. "Where's Abuela?" she asked when she noticed that Bianca was missing.

"Running late at the hospital," Alberto replied. "She should be home soon."

"Rough one?" Jaime asked.

"Weird one," Reno replied, leaning against the counter behind his father. Jaime glanced over his shoulder as his scarab began communicating with Reno's.

"How so?" Cerdian asked as he and Traci watched the myriad of expressions crossing Jaime's face as the two scarabs talked to each other.

"Time travel," Nina stated, placing her jacket on back of one of the chairs and taking a seat.

"Forwards or backwards," Alberto asked, looking up from his newspaper.

"Backwards," Nina answered. "To right about the time you were pregnant with me," she added for her mother.

"Oh…oo," Traci winced. "Reno Sweetie, thank you not being nearly as nauseating as your sister," she smiled sweetly at her son.

"Hey," Nina laughed, knowing exactly how her mother had meant the comment. Alberto chuckled and returned to reading his paper.

"You just had bad morning sickness," Milagro piped up from the stove. "I was possessed by an omnipotent universal entity when I was pregnant with that one," she said, pointing to Zander.

"Nope. Morning sickness trumps Ion possession, any day," Traci countered.

"I dunno," Milagro murmured. "Reno pass me a bottle of Tapatio por favor?" she asked. Reno went to the pantry and got the hot sauce for her. "Gracias Mijo," she thanked when he handed it to her.

"Damn, seriously?" Jaime asked, once the scarabs were done exchanging information.

"Si. Take four speedsters, add a dash of half crazy hacker, mix with a scarab and let simmer for fifteen minutes. And ta da! You've got yourself a chronotron emitter," Reno mused. Alberto looked up in complete bewilderment at his grandson.

"I'm not even going to pretend that I fathom how that works," Cerdian stated as he sliced bread rolls in half. Zander watched his father and smiled fondly as he recalled the slightly overwhelmed trepidation Cerdian had shown in the past, when he learned of his future. It was a sharp contrast to the relaxed man sitting before him, helping to prepare dinner in a suburban home in El Paso. "What?" he asked when he sensed Zander's attention focused on him.

"It's nothing," Zander smiled softly.

"We got to watch you freak out a little in the past," Reno smirked. "It was amusing."

"I see," Cerdian chuckled. "I'm glad to have entertained you all."

"Incoming," Jaime and Reno suddenly piped up. Alberto set aside his paper and leaned back in his chair in laughter.

"Hola," Bianca muttered as she walked in, narrowing her eyes at her son and grandson for a moment.

"Hola my love," Alberto greeted.

"What are you guys doing home?" Bianca asked her grandchildren.

"We get to play hooky this week," Nina replied.

"Oh that's good," Bianca smiled at them. "You're making tortas?" she asked Milagro.

"Si, back off, I can still do this," she said, shooing her mother away.

"I just want a taste," Bianca scolded. Milagro rolled her eyes while Bianca picked a piece of meat from the skillet.

"Hey, is it true you two had our names picked out, years before we were born?" Reno suddenly asked his parents.

"I'll take that as a yes," Cerdian chuckled as he and the youngsters watched their family erupt into laughter.

"Ay Dios mio!" Bianca exclaimed. "The absolute last thing you ever want to hear your seventeen year old son and his girlfriend talking about when you get home is baby names!"

"It took us an hour and a home pregnancy test to convince your Abuela that we were only talking about 'what if?'" Traci added, howling in laughter.

"Something tells me that I'd have paid to have seen that," Cerdian mused.

"Ay Precioso," Milagro laughed. "All these years later and it's still funny as hell."

In a home on the California coast, Lian Harper considered the note-board as she decided which messages to keep and which ones to erase. "What have you two got scheduled?" she asked her partners.

"Uh, I've got two reviews and an opinion piece to write this week," Chris answered.

"I'm just waiting for production to finish and promotion to start on that new game," Jai added.

Lian hummed as she scribbled something on the board. "The girls and I have that tournament in L.A. this weekend. Corey wanted to tag along too," she paused and smirked. "Which leaves you two all on your little lonesome. I want video if anything fun happens while I'm gone." Chris laughed while Jai scoffed.

"As if we'd film that, even for you."

"I need something to keep me from wanting to strangle idiot coaches that know nothing about martial arts," Lian countered.

"You'll have the cotton candy twins with you, what more entertainment do you need?" Jai retorted.

"Hang on," Chris murmured, focusing on something outside. "Speak of the devils." Jai shrugged at the puzzled look Lian gave him.

"There was a time travel thing and we all got weirded out by it so we're taking the rest of the week off," Moon blurted out at speed as she raced through the front door.

"Back up on the Velocity shtick and say that again," Jai asked. Moon began repeating what she had said in a painfully slow manner. Jai let his head fall back against his chair with a resigned smile on his face. Tai went straight to Lian and hugged her, while Corey went into the kitchen for a snack.

"Of. The. Week. Off," Moon finished, hopping up and sitting cross legged on Jai's desk.

"When did you guys end up?" Chris chuckled.

"About twenty two years ago," Tai murmured. Lian rested her cheek against Tai's blue hair as they rocked back and forth slowly.

"It was weird," Corey stated, flopping onto the sofa with an apple. "It's almost like you guys…well you and Mom," he reconsidered. "Were embarrassed by the idea of your relationship. Dad didn't seem too bothered by it."

Jai shrugged. "I've always been pretty open minded."

"Twenty two years ago, my Smallville based sense of morality probably did balk at the idea of living with more than one partner and raising a family," Chris admitted.

"I was probably just thinking how the hell I was going to keep up with two men," Lian muttered. "Actually I still think that sometimes." She shot Chris and Jai a dirty look as the two couldn't help but smirk at that.

"Pop kept redder and redder the more we talked about it," Moon said.

"He might have grown up in Metropolis, but that's a straight up country boy right there," Lian declared.

"And you threatened Dad with one of your sais," Tai informed Lian.

"I'm guessing the Reyes cousins wiped our memories of this," Jai surmised.

"Yup," Corey replied around a bite of apple.

"How'd you get back?" Chris asked.

Moon and Tai both perked up. "We turned Reno into a chronotron emitter," they grinned.

"You still have the schematics?" Jai asked. Tai reached into her back pocket for a flash drive. She tossed it to him and he plugged it into his computer. Jai's jaw dropped when the twins' plans appeared on the screen.

"You understand it?" Chris asked.

"Vaguely," Jai admitted. "I don't think I'd be able to cook up something this precise though."

"Kahji helped," Moon told her father.

"Yeah but still. You worked in a very narrow window for your return," Jai praised.

Lian nuzzled Tai's hair as she let the techno talk fade from her mind. She regarded her children and smiled softly in pride for them. "I don't know about you guys, but I don't feel like cooking," she piped up. Chris and Jai both shook their heads at her and she smirked. "Pizza then?"

"The usual?" Corey grinned, whipping out his smart phone.

"Call it in, Honey," she told him. Tai pulled away from her to fetch plates and utensils from the kitchen. They were not the usual family as seen on television, but they were hers. And Lian was perfectly happy with that.


	31. On a Windswept Plateau

On A Windswept Plateau

_A/N: The actual village of Dinggye, in Tibet is perfectly safe and sound. I just needed a remote mountain village to borrow for my story setting._

"You'd think the Cold War was still going on," Jai muttered as they flew home from assisting several members of the Justice League in the Maldives. Chris chuckled.

"Someone needs to remind Queen Hippolyta not to send Artemis to diplomatic conferences again," he added.

Cerdian leaned back in his seat and howled in laughter. "It was beautiful," he stated, wiping at his eyes. He'd personally witnessed the Amazon's diplomat give the Russian president a piece of her mind.

"And as a result, we now have to go the long way home instead of just over the pole," Jai sighed.

"Red Star is doing his best to talk Levkov into allowing us to use Russian air space again," Damian countered.

"Yeah well, Comrade Kovar needs to step up on that," Jai scoffed. "We're still taking the long way home."

"Oh shut up and enjoy the scenery," Lian said, smacking Jai. "The Himalayas are coming up."

Damian rolled his eyes as his teammates continued to bicker. He saw the comm blink and opened the channel. "Go ahead J'onn," he stated.

"Titans, you need to divert to these coordinates and investigate an impact," the Martian Manhunter replied.

"Understood. Do you know what caused it?" Damian entered the coordinates into the flight computer as Jai pulled up information on the site.

"Unknown at this time, I'm afraid."

"There's a village there, on the Tibetan side of the border," Jai murmured.

"Watchtower, we'll be there in fifteen minutes," Damian stated over the comm. "Titans out. Firewall, information…now."

"Village of Dinggye in Tibet. Roughly five hundred and forty in population, consisting of Tibetan and Sherpa ethnicities. I wouldn't cut loose if I were you, Sis. Dinggye is over fourteen thousand feet above sea level…the air's a bit thin."

"Fourteen thousand?" Kid Flash blanched. "Ouch."

"It's the Himalayas. Mt Everest is only about forty miles away from Dinggye," Firewall added. "So I suggest re-breathers for those who need them."

"We're coming up on Dinggye now…" Robin trailed off as the site came into view.

"Oh no," Green Lantern muttered.

"No unusual levels of radiation…damn," Firewall shook his head as he took in the devastation.

"Whatever hit here, caused half the town to go down the mountain," Arsenal murmured.

"Look for survivors," Robin ordered as they landed.

The team split up and began to search the ruins of the remote village. Superboy focused on the portion of the village that had slid down the mountainside, before closing his eyes and shaking his head. "You won't find anyone down there," he murmured sadly.

"You don't need the re-breather?" Firewall asked Surge. The lack of oxygen had hit Firewall immediately upon disembarking and he'd put his on, along with Robin and Kid Flash. Having grown up at altitude, Arsenal and Green Lantern had found that they weren't that affected by the thin air. Superboy was immune to the effects of the high elevation.

"All the humidity from the vaporised snow and ice is more than sufficient for me," the Atlantean replied, as he tucked his re-breather into his glove. "By Palias," he murmured as they looked around.

Near what had once been the village square, two of the team looked around for the cause of the disaster. "A meteor," Green Lantern said as she scanned the area with her ring.

"Hmm?" Arsenal asked.

"A meteor did this. I'm picking up high levels of iridium," Green Lantern stated.

Arsenal scanned the ground to look for pieces of the meteorite that had impacted the tiny village in the pre-dawn. She spotted a lump of blackened stone and gingerly picked it up. "Chondrite?" Green Lantern scanned the piece and nodded.

"Probably about a hundred and fifty foot across," she added.

Arsenal tucked her find away in a belt pouch and looked around. "They never knew what hit them," she murmured.

"Small mercy," Green Lantern agreed, hugging herself as the pair looked around. The first rays of sunlight hit the distant peak of Mt Everest, causing Green Lantern to pause and take in the vista.

At the edge of the village, Kid Flash took a tentative step into the ruins of a home. All that remained were portions of two walls and the door frame. Unscathed by the impact, she spotted a small handmade doll on the ground. Tears blurred her vision as she picked up the simple little rag doll and cradled it to her chest. She heard Robin murmur her name and felt his arms around her shoulders. Kid Flash buried her face in the crook of his neck and silently wept as he whispered reassurances into her hair.

The others had gathered in the small village square. "You're sure?" Firewall asked. Superboy lowered his eyes and nodded.

"There's no one," he murmured. Surge placed a comforting hand on his shoulder as Firewall sighed.

"Firewall to Watchtower."

"Watchtower here, go ahead," J'onn answered.

"GL and Arsenal have determined that it was a chondrite type meteorite…about a hundred and fifty feet across that hit here," Firewall paused and J'onn swore he felt the waves of emotion coming across the link. "Arsenal has some pieces of it for analysis."

"Go on," J'onn encouraged high above in the orbiting station.

Firewall sighed again. "It hit smack in the middle of the village of Dinggye, in Tibet. They never knew what hit them."

"No survivors?"

"No. GL, Superboy, and Surge used everything at their disposal to try and find any, but nadda," he replied. "I know the regional and religious customs a little," he added. "Give us another hour or so, to wrap up here."

"Understood. I will inform the authorities," J'onn replied. "Head to the Watchtower when you're done there."

"Roger that. Firewall out," Jai replied, removing the comm from his ear. "Gimme a sec," he added to his teammates. He headed for the plane, removing any of his technological gadgets as he went.

"I'll find a place to dig a grave," Chris said.

"No," Iris told him as she and Damian joined them.

"What?"

"These people are Buddhist, their funerary rites are different from what you know," Iris explained.

"They practice jhator here," Damian added.

"Sky burial," Lian added at Chris' confused look.

"I've heard of it," Chris said, letting his head fall back as he recalled what he knew.

"The people here consider the body an empty shell upon death," Lian added. "It is considered a last act of generosity to leave it out to the elements to provide food for other living beings," she said, waving a hand towards the sky. A lone bird of prey circled high above as she spoke.

"We have a similar practice in Atlantis," Cerdian told Chris.

Iris spied Jai returning from the plane and removed her earpiece, re-breather, and goggles, handing them to Damian. Slowly, so as not to wear herself out in the thin atmosphere, she headed up a path that led to the village shrine. Cradling the doll against her heart, Iris murmured a few Buddhist prayers. Lian cocked an eyebrow at Jai, who had his eyes shut in concentration as he mouthed something to himself.

"Dare I ask?" she said.

Jai cracked an eye open to look at her. "Remembering the one Tibetan funerary chant I do know," he replied, before closing his eyes again.

"Talented bastard, aren't you?" she teased. Jai smirked.

"That's me. Full of surprises."

Milagro looked up at Chris, who had a disapproving look on his face. "Part of the ceremony, believe it or not," she told him. "Talk and joke around like it is any other day, assures the departed souls that it's okay to leave."

"You're Catholic and you know this, because?" Chris asked.

"Have you met my sister in law?" Milagro smirked. "Besides, I'm Mexican…we have some pretty outrageous beliefs about death, that the Vatican would love to abolish!"

"Small miracle that any of you were left when the Spanish arrived," Damian scoffed. Cerdian laughed aloud as Chris gave in and snorted a soft laugh.

"For real, huh?" Milagro laughed.

At the shrine, Iris was relieved to see that it had survived relatively intact. Laying the doll at the base of it as an offering, she put her hands together and bowed her head. The morning wind carried the sounds from the village and she smiled, before turning to rejoin her teammates. The others had fallen silent as Jai began reciting the chant he knew. Chris was looking up and shaking his head at the scavenger birds that were beginning to circle. Cerdian glanced over and then up to the birds.

"I respect the customs, but they can wait until we've left," Chris murmured, sensing his teammate's scrutiny.

"Fair enough," Cerdian conceded.

"You alright?" Lian asked Jai when he finished.

"That was strangely liberating," he replied. "We're done here, let's go."

Aboard the plane, the Titans reflected in silence at what they had just seen. Milagro crossed herself, as the first scavenger birds descended upon the ruined village. Lian had her eyes closed and was praying silently in Diné Bizaad, as Cerdian did the same in Atlantean. Iris and Jai contemplated the beliefs they had been brought up with, while Chris stared out the window to the distant peak of Everest. Damian considered the others for a moment, before guiding the plane into space ad towards the Watchtower.

The Martian Manhunter met them in the landing bay, ready to offer any guidance or comfort the teenagers may have needed. He was surprised to find that while they appreciated his offer, it wasn't needed. Lian removed the pouch with the samples from her belt and handed it over to the Martian. "The samples from Dinggye. They're chondrites, but I don't what type," she said.

"I'll have them analysed," J'onn assured her.

"The local customs were observed," Damian stated when J'onn looked to him.

"It's all up here," Jai offered, giving his permission for J'onn to scan his memories.

A small smile graced the alien's lips. "I have had the honour of observing the jhator several times. You performed admirably," he praised. "All of you," he added. "I'll inform the authorities en route from Lhasa. Meanwhile, feel free to relax before the debriefing."

"Nothing to really debrief about," Jai muttered. "Large unknown meteor smacks into remote mountain village, wiping out everything."

"Protocol is protocol," Damian reminded him.

J'onn finished conversing with the Tibetan authorities about what the Titans had discovered. They asked that they pass along their thanks to the teenagers for paying the proper respects, which J'onn promised to do. On his way for the debriefing, he spied Chris staring out one of the windows. "Are you alright?"

"I don't know," Chris murmured. Below on Earth, the Asian steppe was bathed in daylight. "It's just dawned on me that barring a really bad accident…I'll outlive them by decades…centuries possibly."

J'onn smiled knowingly to himself. "I too have contemplated our shared fate. Like you, I will live far longer than any human. I find it soothing that you are the one that I get to discuss it with, first."

"So any ideas?" Chris asked. "How do you deal with that knowledge?"

"Care for them for the short time they are in my life, and cherish them after they've left."

"That's comforting," Chris scoffed.

"The day will come, Chris, when you find that it is comforting. You will find peace one day with that knowledge," J'onn offered. "Shall we?"

"Yeah. Jai was complaining about how long our trip was before we got detoured," Chris shrugged. "You hang out in Chicago, right? When you're not up here being you?"

"I do. Feel free to visit any time you wish."

"I'll keep that in mind, thanks."

On a windswept plateau far below, a monk read from an ancient text as others chanted.


	32. A Chat Over Coffee

A Chat Over Coffee

_A/N: Chris takes J'onn up on the offer of visiting him in Chicago. In my head, Chris is the shy quiet kid of the pack; this'll explore that a bit more._

Chris Kent wasn't sure what to expect when he arrived in Chicago, but the non-descript middle aged man that answered the door was not it. It had been a little over a week since the team had been in Tibet investigating a meteorite impact and the following conversation Chris had had with the Martian Manhunter on the Watchtower afterwards.

"Ah Chris, I'm glad you came," J'onn smiled pleasantly. "Please, come in," he added, stepping aside to allow Chris entrance into his flat.

"Thanks for having me, Mr. Smith," Chris replied as he stepped inside the tidy little flat.

"As I said, you are welcome any time," J'onn said, closing and locking the front door. "And you may call me John."

"Appearances," Chris replied, jerking his thumb towards the door. J'onn nodded as he headed for the kitchen.

"I just have to finish putting away some groceries. Please make yourself at home."

"Thanks," Chris grinned, setting his backpack aside. "I can help, if you like?" he offered, following J'onn into the kitchen.

"Do you drink coffee?" J'onn asked.

"Not on the same level as Jai, but yeah. Coffee's my usual beverage of choice," Chris replied as J'onn handed him fresh coffee and indicated the brewer with a nod of his head. Chris made a pot of coffee as J'onn finished putting away his shopping. Once finished, they took their cups into the sitting room and got comfortable.

"So Jai is the caffeine fiend of your team?" J'onn asked.

"If he ever needed a blood transfusion, we'll just hook him up to the coffee pot," Chris snorted.

J'onn chuckled. "That seems to be the suggested treatment for many in our profession." Chris rolled his eyes in agreement. "Have you had a chance to think about what we discussed?" J'onn asked, changing the subject.

Chris sighed. "That's all I've been thinking about," he admitted. J'onn watched as Chris stared into the steam rising from his cup as he got his thoughts in order. "I don't know if it's because of where I was born and that. But I've always tended to be the quiet kid that hides in the back of the room, hoping no one notices me." J'onn raised his eyebrows in surprise at the admission.

"Go on."

"When I first joined the Titans, the urge to want and hide magnified a bit there…for a while," Chris chuckled. "I felt like that geeky kid you see on television. The one the cool kids take pity on and let hang with them." J'onn frowned ever so slightly at Chris' self depreciation. "Then I guess I kind of found my place and it was the first time I truly opened up." Chris nibbled his lip for a moment before adding to his thoughts. "They're the first real friends I've ever had. And after the incident in Tibet, it occurred to me that there's a real good chance I'll outlive all of them."

"That is a distinct possibility," J'onn agreed.

"Of course Damian is just stubborn enough to make a liar out of me," Chris snorted.

"That is also a distinct possibility," J'onn murmured. "He rivals his father in determination." Chris laughed. J'onn thought of what Chris had said and asked about it. "Have you talked to your teammates about your initial trepidation?"

"Oh yeah," Chris replied. "That road trip we took last summer…lots of stuff came to light. I guess just because we were kind of stuck in such close quarters for so long."

"And what did they have to say?"

"Besides the smack upside the head Lian gave me? Not much," Chris admitted. "It seems that beside's Damian, we all have our own reservations about whether or not we should even be doing what we do."

"Interesting," J'onn hummed. "Have you mentioned your current dilemma to any of them?"

"I was going to, but I got sidetracked," Chris replied. He began to explain when J'onn raised a quizzical eyebrow. "When we were still at the Watchtower," he started.

"What up Chris?" Jai asked. "What the hell happened to you?" he added.

"I've been thinking," Chris replied. "How the hell did you know what to do in that village?"

Jai returned his gaze to the view of Earth outside the vast window. "Considering how many bodies we run into in our line of work…I figured it would be at least polite to know what to do in the event they aren't Christian," he said. "Irey and I were raised as both Buddhist and Christian. I decided to learn what would be appropriate in the event we run into a scenario where the victim is Buddhist."

"That makes sense," Chris agreed.

"That's what I was thinking," Jai added. "Although considering that Buddhists do things differently in whatever country…or even parts of countries, I had a lot to learn." Jai went on to explain how vastly different final rites were among members of his faith.

"And he learned all of them?" J'onn asked, as Chris finished his story.

"The bare minimums at least," Chris confided. "He said he had Connor Hawke teach him."

"The Tibetan authorities were grateful for the Titans considerations when it came to tradition," J'onn informed his young guest.

"I remember you telling us in the debriefing," Chris acknowledged. "Then I talked to Cerdian. But mostly about something he'd mentioned in Tibet, about how burial is similar in Atlantis." J'onn nodded. Chris gave a frustrated sigh and stared into his coffee.

"You know of Ted Kord?" J'onn asked.

"The guy who was Blue Beetle before Jaime…yeah I've heard of him," Chris replied.

J'onn nodded. "I considered him a very dear friend. I still do, even though it has been some time since he has passed." Chris cocked an eyebrow and waited for the Martian to continue. "Ted still lives in my memory…quite vividly too," J'onn let the faintest smile grace his lips as he recalled any numerous pranks the late inventor had gotten up to. "The point I am trying to make, is that whether they are gone or not, if you truly love and care for them, they will always be with you."

"Seriously…it's that easy?" Chris relied, still sceptical.

"Yes it is," J'onn answered. "You will see." Chris still had doubts, but decided to leave them unspoken. J'onn sensed this and smiled. "As a child, I had a beloved uncle, who died unexpectedly one night in his sleep. That uncle was not extraordinary in any particular way, other than the fact that I had bonded with him more than many of my other relatives. That was hundreds of year ago, and I still recall him as clearly as if I had only seen him this morning." Chris let a contemplative look cross his face and J'onn knew that the young man was begging to understand. "All of my family live on in here," he added, indicating his heart.

"So it's not as dire as I'm thinking?" Chris asked.

"No," J'onn assured him. "As long as you live, they will as well." He was certain that Chris would need more time to come to terms with his fears, but J'onn felt confident enough that the young man before him would do so. "Now, about your trepidation around others…?"

"Hey, I've managed to disappear in plain sight," Chris chuckled. He sighed a moment later and lowered his gaze towards the floor. "In the Phantom Zone…the General and Ursa weren't exactly 'parents of the year' material. I got real used to being unnoticed at a very young age."

"They harmed you?" A deep frown crossed J'onn's face as Chris nodded.

"I'm their biggest mistake in their eyes," Chris admitted. "I was on the scrawny side when I came to live with Mom and Dad. Living with them definitely brought me out of my shell a lot and then puberty hit and I shot up like a weed. I became a little fearful again of being noticed that some of my old habits kicked in."

"Why the fear?"

"I honestly couldn't tell you," Chris admitted. "The only thing I've come up with is that I went from being able to vanish into a crowd, to being able to see over it," he sighed. "At six foot four and built like this," he indicated his well muscled frame. "I tend to stick out. And I don't like being easily noticed."

"You don't seem that ill at ease with being noticed," J'onn pointed out.

Chris smiled a little. "Being on a team with Damian, Irey, and Cerdian helps a ton. When we're out in the city in our civilian identities, those three are the only ones people tend to notice," he chuckled for a moment. "Jai's even stated that the rest of us could be stark naked and still no one would notice the rest of us." J'onn raised an eyebrow as Chris continued. "Irey's hair and personality make it impossible for her to hide in our group. Damian just naturally commands the attention of others. And Cerdian's royalty, he grew up used to people knowing who he is."

"Cerdian magically disguises himself though. At least that is what I understood?" J'onn mentioned. Chris nodded.

"People…women especially; still tend to notice a tall willowy guy with long hair and classic good looks," Chris pointed out. He frowned for a moment as a thought crossed his mind. "Maybe that's why I'm not too keen on the idea of outliving them. They let me be comfortable in my own skin."

J'onn smiled knowingly at his young guest. "Then perhaps that is the concern I can help you address?" he suggested.

"Maybe it is," Chris agreed after some thought.


	33. Gold Medal Winning Performance

Gold Medal Winning Performance.

_A/N: Head canon! Milagro takes up high diving as a sport in her youth and becomes really, really good at it. There's a scene in chapter 3 of Road Trip, where Milagro shows what she's made of and expresses her desire to compete on the grandest stage of them all. This is the fulfilment of that desire. As of now the three candidates for the Olympic host city in 2020 are Istanbul, Tokyo, and Madrid. The winner won't be elected until September, so I'm just guessing here. Watch me guess wrong…lol. A/N: Update…Knew I'd guess wrong, lol. This is the corrected version of the same chapter with Tokyo mentioned instead of Istanbul._

Cerdian glanced to his side as Milagro let out another low growl under her breath. She had been hoping for good news but had been deeply disappointed. In sympathy, he'd paid her a visit in El Paso and had taken her out in an effort to make her feel better. "Maybe they'll pick you in twenty- twenty four?" he suggested.

"We want an older more mature team to represent the United States," Milagro snorted in a mocking tone. "Stupid pendejos can kiss my ass."

"You do qualify to represent Mexico as well," Cerdian reminded her. "Have you heard from them?"

"No," Milagro growled. They rounded the corner to her street and Milagro frowned at the black sedan parked in front of her family home. "Who the hell is that?"

"No idea," Cerdian replied.

"Well they're Mexican, whoever they are," she murmured looking at the car's tags. "Hola?" she called out as she opened the front door.

"Mi hija!" Bianca cried out, racing to embrace Milagro. "This is Senor Sanchez from the Mexican Olympic Committee," she gushed, introducing the older man seated in the living room. "Senor Sanchez, my daughter Milagro and her friend Ian," Bianca introduced.

"Buenos días, Milagro y Ian," Mr Sanchez greeted. "Are you a diver, Ian?" he asked.

"No, my thing is swimming," Cerdian replied. "Recreational," he added.

"You are not American?"

"Welsh," Cerdian supplied. Bianca and Milagro shared a knowing look. When the Titans were cooking up a secret identity for Cerdian in his magically altered appearance, they'd settled on making him Welsh, as his accent sounded most like that of the border region between England and Wales. At least that is what Damian had claimed, as he handed 'Ian Beach' his forged papers.

"Ah okay," Mr Sanchez smiled. "A pleasure to meet you," he added before focusing on Milagro. "We heard that the Americans made a mistake and we want to capitalise on that," he said, handing her a thick folder. "Your mother has told us that you already have a Mexican passport. We want you in Tokyo."

"I'm representing Mexico in Tokyo?" Milagro gasped. Cerdian took his mobile out and discreetly sent a text message to someone.

"Si. You need to report to Mexico City in a month's time to be outfitted in your team gear and then to fly with the national team to Tokyo," Mr Sanchez replied. "You'll find tickets and information in your packet," he added, indicating the folder.

Bianca managed to snatch the folder for safe keeping from Milagro as she launched herself at Mr Sanchez. "Muchas gracias Senor!" she cried over and over again.

That same moment in Gotham City, Damian Wayne frowned at his computer screen as he tried to figure out how to present a proposal for Wayne Enterprises. His mobile vibrated on his desk, and Damian picked it up. "Don't sell your tickets. Mila made the Mexican team," he read aloud. "Iris!" he called out, bolting from his desk and heading for the office next door.

"Hey D," Iris greeted. She was with Tim and Tam coordinating scheduled events.

"We're going to Tokyo!" he crowed triumphantly. He handed his mobile to her to show her the text he'd received from Cerdian.

"Tokyo?" Tam puzzled aloud.

"Mila made the Mexican diving team!" Iris yelled. "She's going to the Olympics!" Tam screamed in joy with Iris as the two women hugged and laughed.

"I take it you two are cutting out early today?" Tim grinned.

"Yep. Bye, see ya!" Damian replied, taking Iris by the hand and leading her away.

"Tell her we said congrats!" Tam called out.

"We will!" Iris promised.

Tam turned to her husband. "Did he just say goodbye like a normal human being?" she asked.

"Amazingly, yeah he did," Tim laughed.

"Okay, we have some serious rescheduling to do, because we are going to Tokyo," Tam declared, getting down to business.

"Duh," Tim replied.

In El Paso, Alberto Reyes opened his front door and paused to look at the car driving down the street. "Who was that?" he asked.

"Senor Sanchez of the Mexican Olympic committee," Milagro replied, her voice hoarse from her earlier cheering. "I'm diving for Mexico in Tokyo!"

"Yes! …ow," Alberto cried, throwing his arms up and then wincing in pain. Cerdian raced forward as Milagro shot out her hand and held her father up with energy from her ring.

"You aggravated your arthritic hip," Cerdian stated as he held his hand up and magically eased Alberto's pain.

"Gracias mi hijo," Alberto thanked as the pain melted away.

"Denada," Cerdian chuckled. "Here, sit. Before you hurt yourself again," he added, guiding Alberto to his favourite chair.

A flash of purple light temporarily blinded them as Traci Reyes teleported herself and Jaime into the living room. "You did it!" Traci cheered. Jaime laughed as he picked his sister up in a bear hug.

"Who the hell's that?" Milagro laughed as a knock on the door rang out.

"That was quick," Cerdian grinned, opening the door and letting Damian and Iris in.

"You didn't sell the tickets?" Milagro grinned as Damian swept her up in a congratulatory hug.

"Not a chance," he replied.

"Okay, sit down," Milagro commanded her mother. Bianca raised an eyebrow at her daughter but took a seat on the sofa. Damian let Milagro go and Iris rushed in to take his place as the two girls jumped up and down and hugged.

"In the very real chance that Milagro was invited to participate in the Olympics, I bought a lot of tickets to all the diving events," Damian told Bianca and Alberto. "And I can acquire more if need be."

"Okay…"

"All I need for all of you to do, is make sure your passports are up to date and that you are packed for the trip. I will personally take care of all travel arrangements," Damian continued. "My family owns a private villa, near the new Aquatic Centre, where the diving competition will take place, and I am cordially inviting you to join the rest of the team, as my guests…as we all cheer on your daughter."

"I don't need to be told twice," Bianca said as she shook her head in amazement.

"Muchas gracias mi hijo," Alberto thanked Damian with tears in his eyes.

"We're all going to Tokyo?" Traci gaped.

"Of course."

Nearly a month had passed since Mr Sanchez had told Milagro that her dreams were about to come true. Kyle Rayner arrived at the Reyes household for dinner and was warmly welcomed inside. "Thanks for having me over," he thanked as Bianca led him to the dining room. "Guy couldn't make it because of Corps business, but he asked me to say hi for him."

"I understand," Bianca replied. "Thank you for coming though. It means a lot to us."

"Wow," Kyle grinned when he spied Milagro. "It's been a month and I still don't have the words," he added with a laugh. Word had quickly spread throughout the hero community that Milagro was going to the Olympics.

"Me neither," Milagro confessed. "Okay business first! The reason I invited you over for dinner is that I have a favour to ask."

"Name it," Kyle replied. He raised his eyebrows in surprise as Milagro took her ring off and held it out to him.

"I need you to keep that safe for me, so I can concentrate on diving," she stated.

"I'd be honoured," Kyle murmured as he slid her ring onto his finger. They watched as Milagro's ring melted and flowed into Kyle's. The joined rings flashed briefly and Milagro sighed in relief. "Safe and sound," Kyle promised her.

"Muchas gracias," she sniffled and hugged him. "That is seriously a huge load off my mind."

"I'll bet," Kyle chuckled. "When do you leave for Mexico City?" he asked, releasing her from his arms.

"Tomorrow morning, first thing," Milagro replied.

"Damn. When do you two fly out?" Kyle asked Bianca and Alberto.

"Next week," Alberto replied.

"They get to Japan the day before I do," Milagro added.

"So you'll be there to watch the team show up?" Kyle grinned. "Thank you," he added, as Bianca placed a plate before him.

"I don't think we'll believe it until we see it," Bianca laughed. "This has been…amazing!"

"Tell me about it," Kyle said. "I'm still in awe."

The following morning at the airport, Milagro hugged her sister in law tightly. Traci had been the only family member that was available to take Milagro to the airport, as the others all had to get ready for work. "We'll see you next week, Sweetheart," Traci said around a lump in her throat.

"It's real?" Milagro asked, looking at her ticket.

"It's real. Now go and kick their arses into next year." Milagro laughed and hugged Traci one last time. Traci stayed until Milagro had passed through security and headed for her gate. "Safe trip, Sweetie," she murmured after she lost sight of Milagro.

As she had hoped, Milagro had fallen asleep on the plane almost as soon as she settled into her seat. She vaguely registered it take off before falling into a deep sleep. A slight jolt that indicated that the plane was beginning to descend woke her up. Milagro stretched as best as she could and looked out the window. Her ancestral home spread out below her and she felt the prick of tears. She'd been to Mexico City before, but never for a chance to live out a dream. Customs had been a breeze to get through and she made her way to the depot the various hotels ran their buses from. Finding one that was going to her hotel, she stashed her bags into the luggage rack and settled in.

Once at the hotel, she checked in and a message appeared on the computer that the clerk passed along. Milagro was to settle in and then make her way to one of the hotel ballrooms that the Mexican committee had commandeered. Milagro quickly showered and changed in her room and then headed for the ballroom. It was packed. Signs indicating the various venues hung from the ceiling and she spotted the one for the Aquatics Centre and made her way over. She checked in and the young man called out to a woman in her thirties. She introduced herself as Izel and explained that the committee had a long standing policy of assigning veteran athletes to act as mentors to the new ones.

"Izel? You are Mayan?" Milagro asked as she was led off to the side.

"Si. You are Azteca?" Milagro nodded. "This is my fifth and final games," Izel stated. "I just do springboard now, but I like our chances. I heard that the Americans passed you over."

Milagro muttered and told Izel the reasoning she had been passed over, as she had been told. "I'm not old enough for them."

"May I ask how old you are?"

"I turn nineteen on the final day of platform," Milagro replied. At Izel's disbelieving look, she produced her passport.

"Ay Dios mio…that'll be a birthday present," Izel laughed.

"I've dreamt about it for years," Milagro confessed. "Happy Birthday! Here, have a medal!" Izel laughed and said that she and Milagro would get along just fine. Milagro found Izel to be an invaluable asset and was grateful that she had been assigned to the older woman.

Later that evening, Izel invited Milagro to dinner so the two could learn about each other. Izel was a farmer from a small village in the Yucatan. Her eyes lit up hopefully when Milagro said that she worked as a mechanic for her father. Izel asked if Milagro would look at her car, which she had driven to the capitol. Milagro gave a small grin and said that not only would she look at it, she had a cousin in the city who owned a garage and they could do it there. On the one free day the athletes had been given, Milagro and Izel went to visit with Milagro's cousin Juan, and get Izel's car taken care of. Juan said that he'd gladly do the work for free and keep the car safe at his garage until they returned from Japan. Izel sagged in genuine relief and hugged Milagro tightly after thanking Juan profusely for his generous offer.

On their final night in the Mexican capitol, Milagro's mobile went off with a message from Jaime. She opened it to find a picture of the Aquatic Centre, that Jaime had taken from the roof of the villa they were staying at. Milagro showed the picture to Izel. "Wow. And I thought the facility in Beijing was impressive," Izel murmured.

"And we'll be on our way there tomorrow," Milagro added, as she looked at the photo.

Like her last night in El Paso, Milagro found sleep to be impossible. Izel teased her about it as they boarded the team plane the following afternoon. Milagro shot Izel a dirty look and curled up in her seat. She didn't even register the plane taking off this time. It was early morning in Tokyo when the plane began to descend. Izel nudged Milagro and pointed out the window.

"Look. History almost older than ours," she murmured, as they took in the view.

"Wow," Milagro agreed.

The customs area was packed with athletes from over a dozen countries and could be best described as pandemonium. Milagro loved it. The Turkish authorities easily processed the various national teams with professional efficiency. Milagro scanned the small crowd outside the Athlete's Village to see if she could spot her family. She found them easily enough when she spotted Chris, Damian, and Cerdian towering over most of the crowd. As they got off the bus, Milagro took Izel's hand and led her over to her family and friends. They'd already been told about Izel and warmly greeted her along with Milagro.

"Damn, you have a cheering section," Izel laughed.

"We have a cheering section," Milagro corrected.

"Considering how many nationalities we represent," Lian stated. "There are an awful lot of Mexican flags back at the villa."

Izel tugged on Milagro's elbow. "They're about to parade us in."

"We'll catch up with you later!" Milagro called back to her family, as the two divers caught up to the rest of the team.

"It's really happening," Alberto murmured. Jaime wrapped an arm around his shoulders and gave a squeeze. Traci and Brenda Del Vecchio latched onto either side of Bianca as she began to sniffle.

"Kick their asses, Squirt," Paco Tejas proclaimed. Jai laughed and high fived Paco.

Milagro and Izel were finally able to spend some decent time with the Reyes family and Titans at the villa, the day of the Opening Ceremony. All Izel learned about the Titans were that they were friends of Milagro's that she had gotten to know over the years. Tim had a map of the stadium and pointed out where they would be sitting.

"So look for you at the first bend as we come in?" Milagro asked.

"We'll make it easy for you," Tam laughed. "No don't chew on that, we need it for tonight, Baby," she playfully scolded her infant son. Teejay had a part of one of the flags in his mouth. He giggled in delight and tried to snatch it back from Tam as she pulled it away.

"How are you feeling mi hija?" Bianca asked Traci.

"Pretty good this morning, actually," she replied as she sipped at her orange juice. "Your granddaughter or grandson is being nice to me today," she added, glancing at her abdomen.

"Oh you poor thing," Izel offered. "I was sick with all four of mine."

"He'll be lucky if I give him two," Traci snorted, jerking her head towards Jaime.

They ate and talked until Milagro and Izel had to leave back to the Village to get ready for the evening. The Reyes', Titans, Brenda, and Paco left for the stadium shortly afterwards. Teejay had managed to wrestle a corner of one of the flags back into his grasp again and his parents decided to let him keep it. Below the stadium in the staging area, Milagro and Izel faced each other and recited the mantra that they had come up with in Mexico City.

"We are the daughters of two mighty empires."

"I am Maya," Izel proclaimed.

"I am Azteca," Milagro added.

"We are warriors and we will defeat all opponents!" A couple of their teammates cheered as the two petite divers thrust their fists into the air.

Screens were set up so the athletes could watch the artistic portion of the ceremony. Milagro smiled to herself as she thought of all the parties around the world, she knew were watching and waiting for a chance to glimpse her walk in later.

The home of Elena Leal, in Mexico City, was packed with family as they watched the opening ceremony going on half way around the world. Juan had told Elena about seeing Milagro and the matriarch smiled broadly as she wished her granddaughter luck.

With the exception of Tim, Tam, and Damian, the Wayne household in Gotham City was filled with family. Alfred Pennyworth relaxed into an armchair and smiled with pride as the two eldest sons speculated on the fun the two younger ones were having in the ancient capitol of Japan.

On a small farm in Kansas, it was early morning as the residents crowded in the living room to watch a live feed of the celebration. Clark Kent laughed when he got a message from Chris stating that seeing the ceremony in person was beyond anything he'd ever felt when watching it on television.

In a revamped warehouse in Cuidad Juarez, the Posse had been celebrating most of the day as they waited to see the girl they thought of as their own. The youngest, Alina, was bouncing with excitement as she proclaimed that she would one day follow in Milagro's footsteps.

The Tower in the middle of San Francisco Bay was host to almost every hero who had ever been a Titan. They eagerly awaited the chance to see one of their own living out a dream of a lifetime.

High above Earth, on a satellite orbiting the planet, Kyle Rayner laughed out loud as J'onn muttered under his breath that he wanted to see the athletes come in already.

The athletes were finally paraded in according to country and the anticipation grew as around the world, people waited for Mexico to walk in. Milagro immediately began scanning the stadium where she knew her family and friends were sitting. It didn't take her long to find them and she pointed to show Izel where they were. In the stands, Chris had been the first to spot Milagro as the rest of them began waving the two large Mexican flags they'd brought with them.

Tears streamed down Elena Leal's face as a young cousin spotted Milagro and pointed her out. Alfred flinched slightly at the roar that erupted when Cassandra held a finger to the screen, indicating Milagro. Martha Kent held her clasped hands to her chin as she wished Milagro all the luck in the world. The Posse would joke for years to come, that they were surprised that the police hadn't been called about all the noise they'd made when they spotted their friend in the crowd. At Titan's Tower and the Watchtower high above, heroes cheered as computers were instructed to find Milagro and zoom in on her.

"That's my Baby Girl!" Guy Gardner crowed. He and his fellow Green Lanterns were by far the loudest of the heroic cheering squad.

On the stadium floor, Milagro panned her camera around to capture everything she saw. She'd seen Opening Ceremonies before on television but never in her wildest dreams imagined participating in one. She focused her camera to where her personal cheering section was and laughed as she saw them celebrating along with her.

With the ceremony over, the work began. Milagro impressed Izel with her work ethic, as both divers rose early to train every day. Milagro found the rigorous schedule of meetings, screenings, training, and competition relaxing as she settled into a rhythm. She breezed through the early rounds, saving her more complicated dives for the elimination rounds later in the games. Milagro's only other teammate in the platform competition, Blanca ended up bowing out due to a shoulder injury she aggravated in training. Milagro felt terrible for Blanca, until the other woman held up a medal from Rio. "I got mine already, now it's your turn." Blanca would end up joining Izel and sitting with the Reyes' and Titans as they cheered Milagro through to the final rounds. When Izel was competing, Milagro got to take her place in the stands.

"¡Feliz cumpleaños!" Izel bellowed one morning, startling Milagro from a deep sleep.

"The hell?" Milagro muttered, before realising what Izel had said. "Oh damn…today's it."

"You were number two after last night," Izel assured her. "And that Chinese girl is waning. She threw out the gauntlet too early." Izel had a point. Milagro's main competitor had started with her hardest dives from the beginning of the competition. Milagro meanwhile had paced herself and saved her hardest dives for the later stages. "Hey, Chica? Look at me."

"We are the daughters of two mighty empires." Milagro instantly began to relax as they spoke their mantra.

"I am Maya," Izel proclaimed.

"I am Azteca," Milagro added.

"We are warriors and we will defeat all opponents!"

"That chick's gonna be chop suey when I'm done with her," Milagro proclaimed.

"Let's go get some breakfast," Izel suggested.

The stands in the Aquatic Centre began to fill up as the final competition was set to start in half an hour. Guy and Kyle had flown in the night before to watch the show in person along with the others who had been to every round so far.

Iris spotted some of the American coaches and divers across the pool from where they were sitting. She smirked, she couldn't help it. "We want older more experienced divers, Ms Reyes," she drawled in a bad American accent.

"How's that plan working for ya?" Lian cackled.

"Y'know…technically most of you are Americans," Guy pointed out.

"So?" Tam scoffed.

"Yeah and technically, they're all honorary Mexicanos for this gig," Brenda shot right back.

"And that's completely fine by me," Guy smirked, leaning back in his seat.

"Is that the order they're diving in?" Jai asked when the names of the twelve finalists appeared on the board.

"I think so," Cerdian murmured.

"She's diving second to last," Damian added.

"All of her stiffest competition is going before her," Jaime stated, a grin blooming on his face.

"Bloody hell…I think she's got this," Traci stated. She laughed as Alberto, Bianca, Jaime, Paco, Brenda, and Kyle crossed themselves.

"She's wearing her lucky suit," Bianca said, as the divers came out from the locker rooms.

"Nice colour choice," Kyle teased. Milagro's bathing suit was black with a band of green that ran from her hip to the opposite shoulder.

"Six rounds to decide the best," Tim said. Alberto clasped his hands in front of his face and closed his eyes as he began to pray.

Under the platform, the routine that had served Milagro well for so many years snapped into place. She did a simple backwards dive for her warm up. While swimming to the edge of the pool things changed ever so slightly. Milagro could only perceive the platform and the pool. The noise of the crowd was just a faint buzz in the back of her mind. She'd been in this state of focus before, in battle, never in a diving competition. Her eyes narrowed as her lips curled up ever so slightly. The team coach saw this and smiled. His only words for her were to wish her a happy birthday and good luck.

"She's in the freaking zone," Paco grinned.

In Mexico City, Elena Leal removed her glasses and picked up her favourite rosary. Closing her eyes she began to pray as the first diver took her place atop the platform. Far to the north, in Gotham City, Alfred Pennyworth smiled in satisfaction. The camera had shown Milagro and the butler recognised the look on the young woman's face. "It's yours. Take it," he murmured.

In Smallville, Martha Kent had tuned out the noise of her family around her as she watched the final begin. "God bless you, Sweetheart," she sniffled, as tears of pride and joy came to her eyes.

The Posse watched from their warehouse in Cuidad Juarez. The Mexican coverage was focused solely on Milagro and they saw it. The look of focus in its purest form.

"She's in the fucking zone," Stump exclaimed.

"She's won it," Probe added, her sightless gaze focused in the direction of Tokyo.

The heroes watching from various bases across the globe instantly recognised the fierce look of concentration and cheered.

As she had the whole competition, Milagro's main rival from China had started off with her hardest dive and set the bar high. Nine divers later, Milagro stood atop the platform and breathed deeply. Pushing off as hard as she could, she soared into the air and twisted and flipped her way to a near splash free entry. Milagro was two tenths of a point behind the leader after the first round. By the third round she had passed her rival and moved into first place. By the fifth round, she'd left her competitors in the dust.

Milagro Reyes was a firm believer in saving the best for last. She had a dive in her arsenal that she was only one of a handful of people in the world to successfully perform in competition. As she stood at the base of the platform, waiting to climb to the top to take her final dive, a thought came to her mind. "Yo soy el Linterna Verde. He hecho un dios pedir misericordia. Esto no es nada," she murmured softly. She vaguely registered the diver before her enter the water and the applause of the crowd. It was her turn. Mentally reciting the Green Lantern oath in her mind, she ascended the stairs to the top of the platform.

Reaching the edge of the platform, she turned her back to the pool. Balancing on her toes, she knew they'd be sore the following day as she used them to grip as tightly as possible. A deep breathe through her nostrils and she jumped. "Uno, dos, tres, hit!" Milagro was perfectly vertical as she entered the water. The sharp focus she had maintained for the entire final broke as soon as she turned under water to stop her downward momentum. The dull roar she could hear under water was deafening when she surfaced. She swam to the edge of the pool and pulled herself out. Turning to face the crowd she gave a wave and looked at the board for the first time.

"What the fu…?" Milagro hurried to the side where the team coach was cheering like mad.

"Backwards quad tuck! You did it!" he screamed in joy. They flinched as the crowd went wild once her scores were posted.

The noise died down as the final diver took to the platform for her final dive. It was the only one Milagro actually saw of the entire final and it was near perfect. Congratulations came from the other eleven divers as Milagro congratulated them for their amazing performances. At least she hoped they'd all done well, as she never really registered anything except what she had been doing. She was allowed a few minutes to go to her family and she took it. She laughed as several of them were weeping tears of joy.

"You went into battle mode," Jaime whispered in her ear.

"I know. I've never done that in competition before," Milagro laughed nervously. "It was freaking weird as hell when I finished and snapped out of it." She glanced at the clock on the board and blanched. "I've got twenty minutes to give them a blood sample to test, get changed, and then get my ass over to the medal stand. I'll see you afterwards!" Milagro raced back to the locker room and was escorted to the medical office to give her sample. She went to her locker and changed into the track suit that was reserved for medal ceremonies and let her hair out of the tight braid she'd had it in for the final.

She was grinning from ear to ear as she and the second and third place finishers marched to the medal stand. She watched as the other two divers received their medals before stepping up to receive hers. She bit her lip to keep from laughing aloud, as Paco's voice was definitely the loudest in the crowd. She did laugh aloud when the anthem of Mexico began to play and she could clearly hear Jaime and Paco singing above everyone else. It was all over. She could finally be a spectator along with the rest of the clan that had come to support her. Milagro wiped away a single tear as the anthem finished playing.

The following day, they toured the ancient city with Tim and Damian acting as tour guides. Back at the villa, Milagro was trying on a dress she'd bought when a knock sounded on the door. Cerdian entered and closed the door behind him when she gave the okay to enter. "That was amazing," he complimented, handing her a small wrapped box.

"I'll take your word for it. I don't remember anything that happened yesterday," she replied after thanking him for the gift.

"Someone we know was bound to have recorded the thing," he shrugged.

"Oh to hell with it," Milagro laughed, setting the box aside and throwing her arms around his neck.

"Milagro?" Bianca called out. Milagro and Cerdian separated and she snatched the box back up. "Alright…what are you two up to in here with the door closed?"

"I was giving her, her birthday present," Cerdian replied. Milagro held up the box to show her mother.

Milagro rolled her eyes as Bianca made a noise of disbelief. She ripped the paper from the box and opened it. Her jaw dropped at what was inside. A neck ring of solid gold rested inside, which Cerdian picked up and placed around her neck. "You didn't need to do this," Milagro murmured as she stared at her reflection.

"Seeing as it is Spanish Gold, it's technically yours anyway," Cerdian stated. "That used to be a handful of gold coins that I had reforged into the neck ring."

"Well since it is oro azteca y maya….hell yeah it's mine," Milagro said. "Gracias," she added, standing on tip toes to kiss Cerdian's cheek. Milagro wore the neck ring for the rest of her stay in Tokyo.

They had gone to watch Izel compete in her final and come in second. Izel thanked Milagro and her family for all their support after they had thanked her for watching out for Milagro. The Closing Ceremony was definitely more fun than the opener. She'd arranged with Kyle to get her ring back once she got home. He was waiting for her along with dozens of others who had shown up for the victory party. "I didn't miss it," she admitted, slipping her ring on for the first time in nearly a month.

It was nearly a month later when she finally got to see the final. Milagro was amazed at how easily she had completed the hardest roster of dives she had ever put together. Four years later, she turned down the offer to defend her title. She said that someone else should have the chance and that she had retired. What she hadn't added was the she had a man in her life who could turn her into a water breather and she had been spending more and more time in his kingdom at the bottom of the ocean. "Just trust me when I say that it wouldn't be fair."

_Yo soy el__Linterna Verde.__He hecho__un dios__pedir misericordia__. __Esto no es nada__. - __I am the Green Lantern. I've made a god beg for mercy. This is nothing._


	34. Good Old Fashioned Fun

Good Old Fashioned Fun

_A/N: Sin Lance fans, here she is. I know even less about Sin than I did about Chris when I introduced him. But seeing as Chris has taken on a life of his own in my head canon for this series, I figure (see: desperately hope) I can manage the same with Sin._

The door of an old shed on an abandoned lot opened to allow two girls out. The shed hid a teleporter that the various super hero teams used to quickly get from place to place. "I thought we were going to Smallville?" Sin said as she recognised several landmarks of Keystone City.

"We are," Lian replied. "We're just heading there from Irey and Jai's parents' place." The walk to the West home was only three blocks. As they rounded a corner, Lian beamed at the sight of the large coach parked in front of the house. "Yes! Oh my God, you're gonna love the bus," she told Sin.

"There'll be enough room for all of us?" Sin asked, not sure why Lian was so excited to see the vehicle.

"We'll have room to spare," Lian replied. "This was our home away from home on that road trip I told you about."

"Oh okay. Cool," Sin nodded in understanding. Upon returning to America from the hidden monastery she'd grown up in, Sin had heard a lot about a road trip that Lian and the other Titans had taken the summer previously. A cascade of fire red hair appeared in one of the coach windows, quickly followed by a gust of wind. Sin startled a little as Iris appeared directly in front of her and hugged her.

"Oh my God! I'm so glad that you're here, Sin!" Iris grinned. "You are staying this time, right?"

"Yep. The League of Assassins have given up on me and have set their sights on a new target," Sin replied as she returned the hug.

"Hey Fleet Feet, where is everybody?" Lian asked as she hugged Iris.

"Cerdian and Mila will be here in a bit and Jai and Damian went food shopping," Iris replied.

"Mila's the Green Lantern, right?" Sin asked, nodding towards a green light in the southern sky.

"Yup, and Cerdian is the mer-dude," Lian replied, nodding back towards the direction she and Sin had walked from.

"I thought you said he had silver hair," Sin puzzled. The tall young man walking towards them had long dark hair.

"That's his secret identity look of Ian Beach," Iris shrugged, as Cerdian waved to them. "He's actually more gorgeous than that," she added, waving back.

"If you say so," Sin muttered. "I thought you had the hots for al Ghul?" she teased Iris a moment later.

"Irey is totally in love with Damian," Lian laughed as Iris glared at Sin. "She just happens to have fallen under the spell of 'dear God, the Atlantean dude is a total babe!' Right along with almost every other woman who happens to clap eyes on him."

"He's good looking, but he's not really my type," Sin confessed.

"Oh goody! We don't have to worry about the Mexican going all ghetto chola on your ass," Lian laughed.

"I'm not even going to ask," Cerdian playfully teased as he joined the three girls.

"Sin's immune to your charms," Lian stated, causing Iris to double over in laughter. Cerdian laughed aloud as Sin elbowed Lian in the ribs. "Sin, this is Prince Cerdian of Atlantis."

"Prince?" Sin murmured. "I think you might have left a detail or two out," she muttered to Lian.

"Because his royalty is a non-issue," Lian countered. "Cerdian, this is my aunt, Cynthia 'Sin' Lance," she finished the introductions.

"Your aunt?" It was Cerdian's turn to be surprised.

"Seeing as Aunt Dinah is technically my adoptive grandmother, yeah," Lian smirked.

"Ah. I remember Dad saying something about that now," he replied.

"Granted, we only ever address each other as aunt or niece to tease Mom," Sin smirked.

"Hola! ¿Qué pasa?" Milagro greeted as she landed next to Cerdian.

"Sin, Milagro Reyes. Mila, my aunt Cynthia Lance," Lian introduced.

"Cool," Milagro grinned reaching her hand out towards Sin. "Who's the eldest?"

"If nothing had happened, it'd be her," Sin replied, shaking Milagro's hand and nodding towards Lian. "As it is, I have her by a couple of months…we think."

"As soon as Jai and D get back, we're gone," Iris piped up, as Lian climbed into the coach to drop off her and Sin's bags.

"Is that them?" Cerdian asked, indicating a pickup truck that had just rounded a corner down the street.

"That'll be them," Iris confirmed. Jai parked behind the coach and Iris quickly unloaded their supplies and took them into the coach.

"Hey Sin," Jai greeted, before hooking his truck to the tow bar of the coach.

"Cynthia," Damian nodded politely.

"Hi Jai. al Ghul," Sin smirked.

"News flash," Lian snorted as she came out of the coach. "D couldn't address anyone informally if his life depended on it." Damian narrowed his eyes at Lian as she smirked at him.

"I know. That's why I like busting his balls with his maternal family name," Sin grinned.

"That is not entirely true, is it my Treasure?" Damian countered. Iris laughed as she confirmed that yes; Damian could address someone in an informal manner if he felt like it.

"He calls you, Treasure?" Lian gaped. "Quick! It's the big one!" she exclaimed, slamming a hand over her heart.

"Okay, c'mon let's get going," Jai chuckled as he walked towards the coach door. "You driving?" he asked Milagro.

"Sure," she replied. "Gracias," she added as Cerdian took her bag from her. They all piled into the coach and drove away.

"Take the Central City Loop once you get across the bridge, Mila," Jai instructed as he checked the traffic report on his laptop. "The Cross-town is still jammed with morning rush hour traffic."

"You got it," she replied, changing lanes to merge onto the loop.

"What river is this?" Cerdian asked as he looked at the water below.

"The Missouri," Damian supplied.

"I got a dumb question," Lian piped up. "How come we're towing Jai's pickup and not the land rover?"

"We used it as a bait car some months back," Damian replied. "It met its end in a glorious explosion," he added with a chuckle.

"You blew up the land rover?" Jai gaped.

"The Riddler did," Damian corrected.

"I liked the land rover," Lian stated.

"You know his family," Jai scoffed. "If it doesn't have the Bat prefix attached to it, its fair game."

"Timothy's Bugatti?" Damian countered.

"What I would give for five minutes behind the wheel of that thing," Jai moaned in pleasure.

"Good luck with that," Iris laughed.

"Timothy has had the car for over a year now and Father, Richard, and Jason still haven't been allowed anywhere near it," Damian added.

"And they probably never will be," Iris snickered. "Hell, Tim won't let Damian or me anywhere near the damn thing."

"That's right," Sin said, snapping her fingers. "Lian said that you live in Gotham now," she added.

"I work as his P.A. at Wayne Enterprises," Iris supplied.

"Much to Dad's sheer horror," Jai laughed. Iris and Damian both rolled their eyes at the mention of Wally West and his over protective streak towards his daughter.

"So what? I get to tease you by calling you al Ghul too?" Sin chuckled.

Iris let a predatory smile grace her lips. "Doubt it. I'm Talia's worst nightmare."

"Oh this I have to hear," Sin grinned. Damian leaned back in his seat and laughed as Iris regaled Sin with the story of how she had rescued Damian from his mother's clutches over two years before.

"Let's just say that Talia does not like me…at all," Iris purred.

"I only wish I'd gotten a decent picture of the look on Mother's face," Damian chuckled.

Sin watched as he laced his fingers with Iris' and brought her hand to his lips. "al Ghul in blood only, huh?" Damian nodded.

"Don't let that stop you," Iris teased. Sin and Lian laughed.

"What is the whole 'al Ghul' thing about anyway?" Cerdian asked, reaching back to braid his hair.

"I was trained from birth to be the next Lady Shiva," Sin explained.

"Grandfather got wind of Cynthia's existence and tried for several years to acquire her for his assassin's league," Damian added.

"Forcing me to go into hiding for my own safety," Sin shrugged.

"Then a few months ago, Babs, Tim, and I used a backdoor Tim had input into Ra's computer system ages ago, only to find out that Ra's had tired of trying to get Sin and had found someone else he wanted instead," Jai added.

"A martial arts prodigy in Mongolia caught their eye," Sin stated. "Although he might be harder for them to find than I was. He's supposedly from one of the nomadic steppe tribes."

"So you were free to rejoin your adoptive mother?" Cerdian asked. He glanced at the end of his braid and saw that his hair was still dark. Waving a hand, he removed the spell that disguised his natural appearance.

"Yep…whoa," Sin said when she saw his true appearance.

"Told ya," Iris teased.

"Not as immune as you thought, huh?" Lian added. Cerdian shook his head and smiled softly.

"The eyes do it," Sin admitted. "I didn't know eyes existed in that shade of blue." She shot Lian a look and added that Cerdian was still not her type. "No offense."

"None taken," Cerdian replied. "Relax," he added in Spanish for Milagro when he saw the look she was giving Sin in the rear view mirror.

"Don't tell me to relax, Fish boy," Milagro retorted playfully back in Spanish.

"I'll tell Bianca what really happened last month," he teased.

"Your funeral, Ese," she replied, in English.

"I got the gist of that, and I'm gonna have to agree with her," Lian said. "Whatever happened, that Bianca need never know about, will probably result in your funeral."

"Bianca adores me," Cerdian smirked.

"Says you," Milagro scoffed. "Okay, next stop Smallville," she added, as she turned off the highway onto the road that led to the sleepy Kansas town.

"I'll bite, what happened?" Jai laughed.

"Bianca found us after I gave Mila a rather enthusiastic congratulations for her gold medal win in Tokyo," Cerdian replied.

"Muchas gracias a Dios she hadn't wandered in on us five minutes earlier," Milagro groaned.

"That would have been awkward," Cerdian agreed.

"That would have been fatal," Milagro corrected. Cerdian shrugged as the others laughed.

"We're here!" she called out a moment later. Milagro parked the coach near the barn and jumped from the driver's seat to rush back to the bedroom where their bags were. She'd been told that the Kent matriarch was one of her biggest supporters a month earlier, and she'd brought her medal with her to show Martha. A small streak of grey dashed past, startling Milagro. "The cat came too?" she called out.

"Is the Pope Catholic?" Iris retorted. "Of course Nefer-Kitty came along. That's the main woman in D's life." Milagro howled in laughter. "I'd be jealous if she wasn't four legged."

"Just remember, we have someone who can bathe you from a safe distance now," Damian told Nefertiti as she leapt from the coach and headed for the barn. Damian rolled his eyes when he received an indignant squawk from his pet. He quickly finished hooking up to the water and septic systems on the farm and headed inside the coach to wash his hands.

"He brought his cat?" Sin asked Lian.

"Nefer-Kitty is kind of our un-official mascot," Lian chuckled. "And yeah, you will be drafted into cat washing duty if she does what she did the last time she was here," she added to Cerdian.

"Damian's welcome to try." Cerdian smirked, folding his arms across his chest.

"You're all here! Welcome," Martha Kent said as she came out the front door. "Oh good, you brought the cat," she added, when she spied Nefertiti prowling along the wall of the barn.

"Mrs Kent, may I introduce our newest teammates, Cerdian and Sin," Lian said, after hugging the older woman.

"A pleasure to meet you at last," Cerdian said. "I've heard a lot about you."

"An honour," Sin added, bowing respectfully.

"The pleasure and honour are mine," Martha smiled broadly. "Kara and Chris are finishing up in the back field, but I'm pretty sure they've heard your arrival by now," she added.

"We did," Chris said, hovering above them. "Hey Sin," he greeted, floating down to the ground.

"Hey muscles…damn you've gotten tall," she said looking up at him.

"I'm beginning to suspect that it's a species trait," Martha muttered good naturedly.

"For Kryptonian guys maybe," Kara scoffed, landing next to Martha.

Jai had been unhooking his truck from the back of the coach. He finished and wandered past the door before pausing and holding out a hand. Iris took it and jumped to the ground. Jai held his other hand out and Milagro laughed as she let him guide her outside as well. Chris and Kara were eternally grateful that Martha didn't have their keen sense of hearing as Damian told Jai where he could stick his offer of helping him from the coach. Glancing at Martha, they realised that she wouldn't have cared even if she had heard the crude exchange.

Martha held a hand up to her mouth and sniffled when she spied Milagro. "Oh bless her," she murmured. "That was amazing," she told Milagro as she hugged the petite girl.

"Gracias and I'll take your word for it, because I didn't see a thing," Milagro replied.

"But you were there," Martha puzzled.

"And I don't remember any of it."

"I told you, Mila was in the zone," Kara informed Martha.

"All I registered was the platform and the pool," Milagro added. "I couldn't hear or see anything else."

"We still have it on the dvr," Martha offered.

"Please can I watch it later? I still have no idea what happened," Milagro asked.

"Wait? What am I missing?" Sin asked. "What do you want to watch?"

"Me win this," Milagro replied, pulling her medal out from her pocket and handing it over to Martha.

Martha accepted the medal reverently and studied it in her palm. "You didn't see it?" Martha asked Sin.

"I just got back last week, after years of hiding out in a very remote and technology free monastery," Sin replied.

"Oh I'm sorry. I didn't realise that you've only been back for such a short time," Martha apologised. "You're more than welcome to watch it here if you like."

"I want to see this zone you supposedly had full command of," Sin teased Milagro.

"You and me both," Milagro added.

"I can tell you both that it was an amazing performance. Congratulations," Martha said, handing the medal back to Milagro. Milagro passed the medal to Sin to look at, when Sin asked if she could.

"Since I doubt you guys would mind seeing it again, and we love watching it," Kara piped up. "Want to let Chris and me clean up and we can watch it?"

"Sold!" Iris and Lian replied together.

"I wouldn't mind seeing how it was covered," Damian added. Jai and Cerdian added that they could care less either and would like to see it again.

"Cool! You can tell me what was going on in the stands, because normally I could see you guys…except for the final," Milagro stated.

"You mean the Paco and Jaime show?" Jai laughed. "Best performance yet!"

They settled into the living room and Jai asked where the other two residents of the farm were. "Connor and Cassie are in Gateway this week," Chris grinned.

"He went to ask Helena for Cassie's hand in marriage," Kara added, flopping into an overstuffed chair.

"He what?" several of the Titans exclaimed.

"We're heading to San Francisco a day early to throw together a surprise party for them," Chris added. "She said yes," he added, waggling his eyebrows.

"Tim and Bart are already doing the pre party prep," Kara added with a wink.

"Vacation and a party? Now that's what I call a team introduction," Sin laughed.

"Oh wow, you have the whole thing," Milagro stated when she what coverage the Kent's had recorded.

"The prime time sucked eggs, as usual," Kara snorted.

"Mom and Dad footed the bill so Grandma could see the premium stuff," Chris added.

"Well…I don't see any difference," Sin mentioned.

"It wasn't until I did my warm up dive that it snapped in," Milagro replied. "After that, I don't remember anything." The coverage showed Milagro's warm up a few minutes later. "And this is where everything went away," she stated.

"I'll say," Sin remarked. They watched as the camera panned to other divers and Sin studied each one. "You won it before you ever started. Not a single one of them is as on, as you are."

"Please tell me you can break this down into layman's terms for the rest of us," Martha teased.

"Oh yeah no problem," Milagro replied. "Okay, this chica attacked the whole thing wrong," she added, pointing to her main rival on the screen. "I remember the night before that she was getting sloppy in the semi-finals. She treated every round like it was the finals when she didn't have to."

"Well I'm no expert, but that looked pretty good," Sin said.

"She chokes on the remaining five dives," Jai told her.

"I start with that?" Milagro balked a while later when it was her turn.

"Don't you have to submit a list of dives to the judges?" Damian asked.

"For all the other rounds, yeah. For the final, it's a free for all," Milagro answered. "I can't believe I start with this though."

"You don't even remember what dives you did?" Iris asked. Milagro shook her head no.

"That's one of my harder dives," she hissed a little as she watched. "Feet were slightly forward." The scores came up on the screen and Milagro was about to protest. "Oh okay, they did deduct for it. I almost thought they missed it for a second."

Kara and Martha gaped at her slightly. "Isn't it a good thing if they miss tiny boo-boos?" Kara asked.

"I don't like it," Milagro admitted. "It's not an accurate rating of the dive."

"I like her," Sin piped up, pointing to Milagro.

"This chica was cool as hell," Milagro laughed as she pointed out the diver that followed her. "She told me before the medals that she missed talking to me during the round. She said that she could tell I was somewhere else."

"Teagan Hall from Australia," Kara read from the screen. "Associating with the enemy huh?" she teased. Milagro rolled her eyes.

"In all the other rounds, she and I would talk about all kinds of stuff," Milagro said. "See how most of the others are trying to stay in their own little worlds? Tea and I both did better if we were chilled out and treating it like any old day at the pool."

"See? That's what I think this whole Olympics thing is about," Martha stated. "Friendly competition."

"That is the idea, but you get a bunch of elite athletes together and they're out for blood," Milagro told her. They watched as the rounds progressed until the sixth round, when Milagro focused on the screen and the final dives that would determine placings.

"You were muttering something under there in Spanish," Chris pointed out. Milagro smirked.

"That I do remember," she laughed. "I am the Green Lantern. I've made a god beg for mercy. This is nothing," she repeated in English when asked what she had said. "I was reciting the Oath in my head as I was climbing the stairs."

"Your ring was parked next to me in the stands," Lian pointed out.

Milagro nodded. "I didn't get it back from Kyle until I got back to El Paso. Okay see that?" she asked, pointing to the screen. "That's why my feet hurt like hell the next day." Silence fell as they watched. "Uno dos tres hit…whoa!" she exclaimed. "And that's when I snapped out of it," she added, as it showed Milagro slowing under water. "Damn!" she laughed. "How did Paco not lose his voice?" Milagro could hear her brother's friend over the crowd.

"Poor Teejay, we scared the hell out of him," Iris chuckled when the cameras panned to Milagro's personal cheering section in the crowd. Tam and Tim were trying to cheer and sooth Teejay at the same time.

"Oh Papi," Milagro sniffled. She had an idea that her father had cried before she met up with them immediately after the competition, but didn't realise that he'd broken down so completely. "I felt so bad for Tea having to hear all this and wanted everyone to shut up so she could dive," she laughed. She was glad to see that Teagan didn't seem to mind the ruckus atop the platform, she was even laughing. "This is the only dive I remember seeing."

"That was brilliant," Sin complimented. "I'm impressed."

"Gracias. And just so you guys know…that is the hardest program I have ever put together…let alone pulled off," Milagro confessed.

"And you don't remember a thing about it?" Martha asked. Milagro shook her head.

"Is the medal ceremony on here? I want to see if you can hear Dumb and Dumber," she laughed. "I could hear them on the podium…that's why I was cracking up so hard." Martha fast forwarded to the medal ceremony and much to Milagro's delight, she could hear Jaime and Paco, singing badly and off key.

"You weren't stuck directly in front of them," Damian muttered.

"And they were sober too," Milagro laughed.

"They were stupid drunk on ecstatic," Jai added. "Hell, we all were."

"Muchas gracias Doña Kent," Milagro thanked. "I mean I was there but I never registered a single thing, I was so focused."

"Thank you for bringing your medal to show me. It's beautiful," Martha replied. Milagro chuckled.

"It made for a nice birthday present," Chris smirked. "It was Mila's birthday, the day she won," he added, when Martha gave him a surprised look.

"I got a medal, Jaime got fireworks and a party the whole world was focused on," Milagro countered. "The Closing Ceremony was on my brother's birthday, and they were up in the stands."

"What wonderful birthdays for both of you!" Martha grinned.

"To be honest, I'm glad it's over. That was muy loco!" Milagro laughed.

Kara glanced at the time. "Hey Jai? You want to start setting up for tonight?" she asked.

"Shoot," he replied. "What's playing at the drive in?"

"Uh, a couple of eighties classics," Chris replied. "This week is the last week of the Summer Movie Fest."

"We usually only go for the barbeque and atmosphere," Martha chuckled. "Okay, Irey and Mila, there's a fridge in the barn where I have the burgers. There's also a cooler out there with ice in it for the food." The two girls gave a salute and took off for the barn. Martha gave orders to the rest of them as well and went to fetch some blankets.

"Still a bit early isn't it?" Damian asked, as they loaded up Jai and Martha's pickups.

"They open the gate in a few minutes for the tail-gaters," Martha replied.

"Ah."

"Yeah that would make sense," Lian stated. Damian shot her a look over his shoulder.

"No. You stay here and traumatise the resident rodent population," Damian said when Nefertiti jumped up into the back of Jai's truck.

"Yeah, show Robin how it's done," Kara chuckled.

"Excuse me?"

"We finally got another cat, but he prefers catching birds," Kara explained. "And since he's a tuxedo and his first catch was a robin…figure out where we got the name from."

"Oh ha-ha," Damian snorted. He picked his cat up and set her on the ground, telling her to hunt in Arabic. She glanced back up at him before something caught her attention and she slinked off.

Cerdian waved his hand and murmured something in Atlantean, casting the spell that darkened his features. Martha watched in genuine surprise as silver hair turned to dark brown and ice coloured eyes darkened. "That's a handy trick," she commented, before telling the youths to get into the two trucks. They all piled in and drove off. Jai followed Martha to the drive in theatre. Martha paid the admission for the two trucks before driving over towards the back corner of the lot. Chris set up the barbeque as Sin helped Lian and Kara set up the rest of the spread on one of the tailgates.

"This is a big drive in for a little town," Iris commented.

"Well it serves, Johnstown, Littleton, and Smallville," Martha stated. "I remember ages ago when it was packed in here with folks from all over."

"Oh that's cool," Iris said.

"Hey what station did you say it was?" Jai asked Chris. Chris told Jai the station to tune to for the audio. Eighties music came blaring out of the small radio Jai was fiddling with. Jai set the radio atop the cab of his truck. He set up a second small radio on Martha's truck and turned it on as well. "Cool playlist," he commented.

"The original owner's son runs the place now and yeah…he's turned this into party central," Kara explained. "For the backwoods of Kansas," she added with a shrug.

Martha and Milagro finished setting up chairs between the two trucks and Martha settled into one of the chairs. Cerdian helped Milagro lay out the blankets in the back of Martha's truck. Damian asked who wanted what for a beverage and tossed water bottles or sodas to those who had requested them. Chris and Jai manned the grill and cooked up the hamburgers. Soon they were ready and everyone made a plate that included potato salad, tossed salad, and hamburgers.

"Here you go, Ma," Kara said, handing a plate to Martha.

"Thank you, Dear," she thanked.

"You have bioluminescent creatures on the surface?" Cerdian marvelled as the sun set and fireflies began to flicker.

"Oh wow," Sin breathed.

"Yep, and that's right…you've never seen them before," Lian replied. Sin's plate went ignored as she stared at the flickering little insects.

"Fireflies still trip me out," Milagro confessed, trying to coax one to land on her finger.

"And they're harmless?" Cerdian asked as he looked at the one that landed on his knee.

"This isn't the ocean where everything is out to get you," Chris chuckled. Cerdian shot him a wry look. "Fireflies are totally harmless."

A voice came over the radios, saying that the evening's double feature would be starting soon. The screen lit up with classic advertisements for the concession stand. "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure and Revenge of the Nerds. Now that's a combo!" Jai laughed.

"And you probably know the entire scripts to both," Lian teased.

It turned out that Jai wasn't the only one who knew the words to the movies. Jai and Chris easily synched up and began playing along with the movies. Martha nearly slid out of her chair several times, howling in laughter. Across the vast lot, most groups seemed to have people who would act along with the films. Sin had only ever seen a few movies in her lifetime and loved the show. Cerdian and Damian looked out at some of the other groups nearby and judged their performances. Jai and Chris could be hams though, so it was agreed that the two would probably win if there had been a real contest. Lian, Iris, and Milagro gladly filled in when it was a female roll happening on the screen.

Towards the end of the second film, the melody of a classic fight song began to play and Milagro jumped up. As 'We are the Champions' played, she held her arms up in victory only to be pelted with popcorn and empty plastic drink bottles. "Hey! Any of you won a medal at the Olympics? Didn't think so! I'm taking my victory gloat!" The projectiles resumed flying through the air towards her. As the credits began to roll, they bagged the empty bottles to be recycled later and made sure that they'd cleaned up around their area. Jai grabbed the two radios and put them away in his truck. They made it back to the farm a few minutes later and unpacked the two trucks. Martha bid them goodnight and retired to bed shortly afterwards. The team soon followed and went to bed for the night. Chris headed for the bedroom in the barn loft while the others piled into the coach.

Martha was the first to rise the following morning. She took her coffee out to the back porch along with food for the two cats. "Be nice and share," she gently scolded them when they tried to horde the food. They ended up eating each other's breakfast, causing Martha to laugh at them. The sky overhead was grey and she could smell rain in the morning breeze. Finishing her coffee, Martha headed back inside to start on breakfast only to find that Kara, Iris, and Milagro had beaten her to it.

Accepting a second cup of coffee and some toast from Kara, Martha wandered out to the front porch. Damian and Jai waved to her, before taking off down the road for a morning jog. Lian and Sin had opted to do Tai Chi instead. Martha watched as the two girls moved in synchronous ease through their morning exercises. Sin uttered something that Martha didn't catch and the next thing the two were attacking each other in a series of choreographed moves. They halted before striking killing blows and Martha found herself holding her breath.

"You're getting better," Sin complimented as they bowed to each other.

"That fifth kata is going to be my undoing," Lian muttered. "Morning Mrs Kent."

"We'll work on that one for a while then," Sin suggested. "Good morning…relax, we weren't going to kill each other."

"Sometimes I do wonder how you can be on teams with metas," Martha admitted. "After seeing that…I can see it."

"D and Jai are good. Lian's better, but I'm the best," Sin stated.

Lian saw the slight quirk of Martha's eyebrow and chuckled. "She's not bragging. There's only one person on the planet who can give Sin a run for her money in martial arts."

"The woman I've been trained to replace," Sin added.

"A woman is the greatest martial artist on the planet?" Martha asked, smiling.

"The top five martial artists on the planet are women," Sin stated. "Shiva, me, Damian's sister Cass, Lian, and my adoptive mother…in that order."

"Oh good for you," Martha grinned. Sin looked up at the sky and held a hand out. It was beginning to rain.

"Hide and seek!" Lian grinned.

"Seriously?" Sin scoffed.

"See that corn field?" Lian asked, pointing. "Hide and seek, in that, in the rain. Best thing ever!"

"And I'll pass," Chris said around a yawn as he came out of the barn.

"Oh c'mon, we have D's nemesis here…you know you want to see that," Lian grinned. Chris considered as he watched Sin crack her knuckles menacingly.

"You might be onto something," Chris relented after a minute as he followed Lian and Sin to the porch.

"And here I was just about to ask you where the swimming hole was," Cerdian said as he stepped from the coach, holding a hand out to catch raindrops.

"Right next to that big old tree over there," Chris stated, pointing to the back of the farm.

"Good to know," Cerdian murmured. He held his hands out slightly and let his head fall back. The others saw the rain drops move towards the Atlantean who let them cover him completely in a wall of water. The water suddenly flew apart and rained down to the ground. "I'm awake."

"And it's not like we weren't drenched already," Jai laughed. He and Damian had just returned from their run.

"Now you aren't," Cerdian stated, removing water from the two with his hydrokinesis.

"How about breakfast?" Martha suggested with a chuckle.

"And then rain soaked hide and seek in the cornfield," Lian added with a grin.

"I'm interested," Damian purred.

"This'll only end in tears," Jai chuckled, shaking his head.

"Let me guess," Kara said as they came in and she set a platter of scrambled eggs on the table. "We're screwing around in the cornfield afterwards?" They quickly ate breakfast and then headed outside. Martha shook her head as she began to clean up the morning dishes. She'd fetch clean clothes for them later and set them in the barn. Martha then began boiling eggs for sandwiches.

Damian had been declared 'it'. The others raced for the field as he counted off to two hundred. Along the edge of the field he looked for footprints in the mud. He found one the same size as his and studied it; the size and depth suggested that he was after Chris or Cerdian. The ball of the foot was closer to the heel than on Damian's own feet. The toe imprints were also spread out a little more and looked scooped out. "Elongated webbed toes," he murmured. He was after Cerdian.

Several rows over and deeper into the field, Cerdian smirked. His father had told him how meticulous Bats were at everything they did, including playing games. Cerdian walked along the row for a few metres and then summoned a ball of water. He rode it back to where he'd started and made another set of tracks to throw Damian off. He heard the faintest rustle of leaves and slipped between the corn stalks to the next row over. Cerdian figured that he was about five rows ahead of Damian, as he made more tracks leading to nowhere. Satisfied that he'd throw his teammate for a little while at least, Cerdian very carefully used his water platform to float up to the crowns of the stalks and hide in waiting. His plan was to follow Damian once he'd gone by.

"What the hell?" Kara had heard Damian very clearly and distinctly on the other side of the field. Using her x-ray vision she scanned ahead until she saw Damian and then Cerdian. Atlanteans couldn't fly, so she wondered how he was hiding so high up in the foliage. Carefully she floated up to see over the corn stalks. She rose a little higher until she spotted Cerdian in the clear and saw how he was hovering above the ground. He spotted her and held a finger to his lips as he pointed to roughly where Damian was. Kara clapped a hand over mouth and laughed in silence.

Cerdian froze when Damian crept between the stalks to the row he was hiding in. He could see the look of frustration on Damian's face and smirked. "Well played," he heard and accepted the praise silently. Damian followed one of the false tracks and peered through the stalks, only to find that it looped back. Damian then decided to follow the set that went down the row for a while. Cerdian watched and was about to lean out a little so as not to lose sight of his prey, when Damian froze and crouched down. Cerdian froze in his perch. Damian leapt through the stalks and tackled the person on the other side.

"God damn it!" Iris bellowed.

"You're not Cerdian," Damian stated, as he helped Iris up.

"Duh!" Iris scoffed, smacking Damian alongside the head. "That's who made all these tracks to nowhere?" she asked, indicating the sets nearby.

"Yup," Cerdian replied, stepping out of the corn and smirking. "We play a game similar to this in Atlantis. It hones the hunting skills."

"You were tracking me?" Damian asked.

"Of course."

"Oh my God that was hilarious!" Kara laughed as she floated overhead.

"Thanks for talking me into playing," Chris added to Lian, who was making her way through the rows to where Damian, Iris, and Cerdian were.

"Anytime," Lian replied. "Granted, I thought Sin was the one that would be giving him fits."

"The Atlantean skunked him?" Sin asked from a platform Milagro had made with her ring.

"I'd be amused if Damian hadn't tackled me like I was built like an Atlantean," Iris muttered. She pulled the collar of her shirt away and saw a bruise forming.

"It'll be gone in an hour," Jai said dismissively. "You're it!"

Iris had figured correctly when she guessed that Cerdian might think she used the Bat family method for hunting her teammates down. Iris was a Flash and they played fast, not deductively. Just because she lived in Gotham and worked mostly with Damian's family, didn't mean that she'd given up her speed based tactics. He startled as she came barrelling up a row and slammed into him at speed. "That's the tackle you were supposed to get earlier," she smirked, helping him to his feet.

"Thanks but no thanks," he gasped. She'd knocked the wind out of him and he took his time counting to the required two hundred to get it back.

In the field, he could hear movement a few rows in either direction. Summoning a cocoon of water around him, he hid along the base of a row of corn completely covered in mud. Sending rivulets of water out around him, he waited until someone triggered his trap. The copious swearing in Spanish could be heard all over the field, when Milagro had taken the bait and got the shock of her life as Cerdian launched at her from the mud.

Milagro did her count in Spanish, peppering it with dark vows of vengeance against Cerdian for the fright he'd given her. She flew towards the field and flew low to the ground next to the plants so as not to be easily seen. Sin slipped through a row ahead of her and then yelped in surprise when she was wrapped in green energy from Milagro's ring. "And here I was beginning to think this was easy," Sin laughed as Milagro let her go. They both ducked suddenly as thunder boomed overhead. Chris acted as a lightning rod so his teammates could get away safely as another bolt of lightning and roll of thunder crashed through the sky.

"Hop on," Milagro said, making a platform for Sin to quickly ride back to the barn. Milagro picked up several more of the team along the way and flew them all to the barn.

"We got lucky that it's just cloud to cloud lightning so far," Chris said as he was the last one in the barn. They showered and headed into the house before the heavens opened up and the rain became a deluge.

Martha shook her head in amusement as she listened to her young guests discuss the game out in the field. "It would make sense to me that someone from the ocean would use tactics that serve other species so well," she suggested.

"Wise words. Thank you," Cerdian smiled.

"You'll never catch me dead in your natural habitat," Martha replied sweetly, causing the young man to laugh.

"Okay, where's the poker chips?" Lian asked.

"Texas hold 'em, ten dollar buy in," Kara stated, holding the poker set out of reach of Lian.

"Done."

"That's the one where everyone gets two cards and they try to build a winning hand out of the flop?" Sin asked Lian. Lian nodded, and tossed a crumpled ten dollar bill into the pile. "I'm in." Sin added her ten to the pile and took a seat at the table.

"I'm not," Chris laughed. "Card sharks," he added, pointing to Iris and Jai.

"Just because our maternal grandmother thought that the easiest way to teach us math, was to teach us how to play poker," Iris snorted.

"And black jack, and bet on the ponies," Jai listed off.

"And it worked because you're both math wizzes on top of being card sharks," Chris smirked, curling onto one end of the sofa with a book.

"Agreed," Damian murmured, as he opened his laptop and began working on some files. "Jason is determined that he'll beat Iris…"

"Eventually," Iris laughed.

"I'll watch," Cerdian said. "I have no idea how to play."

"Wise move," Damian stated.

"Whatever," Milagro muttered. She dealt the first hand and they began to play. Kara and Milagro were quickly eliminated from the game and could only watch in awe as Iris and Jai teamed up against Sin and Lian. "How did this go from single player to teams?"

"There's a long dark history of epic card games between Flashes and Arrows…they're only honouring tradition," Kara replied.

"And that'll be the other reason I declined to play. Dad's told me some of the horror stories," Cerdian chuckled.

It was another hour before the next player was eliminated. The game quickly ended shortly afterwards. Lian successfully bluffed Jai and Iris into a trap and Sin won the hand, while Lian had sacrificed herself. Sin simply took out the remaining few chips the twins had by out raising them a few hands later.

"This means war," Jai vowed, as Sin split the pot in half and handed half to Lian.

"Sure thing, Geek," Lian replied, pocketing her share of the winnings.

"We're not about to let this affront to family honour go down without a fight, are we?" Iris asked Jai.

"Hell no," he replied, slapping a twenty dollar bill onto the table.

"You asked for it," Sin shrugged as she bought into the game. Lian and Iris bought into the game and cards were dealt. The kitchen table had become a battle ground.

"We'll be eating dinner in the living room," Kara chuckled. She excused herself to go upstairs to her room for a moment.

After three more games, the twins had come out even with Sin and Lian. They were about to deal the decider, when Martha put her foot down and said that she'd like the table to serve dinner on.

"Dinner and then we take this to the bus to decide it," Sin declared. Martha rolled her eyes before asking Lian to set the table, and Iris to whip up a salad.

Cerdian wandered in the backdoor with Nefertiti and Robin and set them down onto the floor. "They got trapped out in the barn when the storm kicked in," he said as both cats curled around Martha's ankles.

"And they're not covered in mud?" Martha marvelled.

"They were. I don't think they liked that too much," he admitted.

"Cleaned them off with your powers?" Damian asked, as he got food for them. Cerdian nodded. "Told you," he gently scolded his pet. She shot him a look before digging into her meal. Robin looked warily up at Cerdian for a moment before eating his own meal.

Iris did the dinner clean up at speed and then shot out to the coach with the poker set to deal the deciding game. Jai, Lian, and Sin dashed out to the coach along with Kara, who wanted to see the gory battle first hand. Martha turned on the television and found a show that seemed to appeal to Milagro, Cerdian, and Chris. Damian listened in as he played with the two cats for a while.

Out in the coach, Kara had been nominated as dealer. She had to laugh at the sheer determination that the two teams played the game with. The game lasted for over three hours, before Jai pulled the sacrifice stunt that had won Lian and Sin the first match. Iris managed to hold out as Lian and Sin's chips were whittled away to nothing. "That's it. When you all turn twenty one, we're going to Vegas!" Kara declared.

"Legally," Lian snorted. Iris laughed as Jai shot her a wry look. Sin smothered her laughter in her hand before telling Kara what Lian had meant.

"I'm told it was grand," Sin chuckled.

"That's what Chris said," Kara smirked.

The following morning was still grey, but the rain had stopped for the time being. Kara and Chris said that they had some chores to do and the others volunteered to help out. Martha had decided to use the dreary day to do some canning. She mentioned a town festival coming up and wanted to experiment with her preserves recipes. "The judges are getting finickier every year," she'd said. Sin grinned and offered to help.

"We grew our own food in the monastery and I am a bit of pro at canning," she stated.

"Got any exotic recipes?" Martha asked with a wicked gleam in her eye.

"How many entries are you allowed?" Sin replied.

"I don't know what's scarier," Iris mused a while later. "Tim and Jase playing with explosives mixtures or those two."

"I'm beginning to think that it's those two," Damian agreed.

A crack of thunder in the afternoon heralded another heavy downpour. The storm didn't last as long as the previous day and had mostly passed by sunset. Later that night, Sin found that she couldn't sleep. Creeping out to the barn, she made it out onto the roof to gaze up at the night sky.

"You okay?" Kara softly asked a while later. She'd been flying around the area to check for storm damage.

"Fine," Sin replied, sitting up and inviting Kara to join her. "The last couple of weeks have been crazy, that's all."

"Mind sharing?"

Sin shrugged and told Kara what had been on her mind. "I've spent the last…what, seven, eight years as a prisoner at the monastery? Only to finally find out that I'm no longer a target for the League of Assassins and that I can rejoin the real world."

"Prisoner?"

"I couldn't leave," Sin stated. "At least not for my own safety." Kara had to concede that she had a point. "It was easier when Mom first brought me to America as a child. I was still somewhat sheltered."

"And now you're not as sheltered and it's un-nerving?" Kara asked.

Sin nodded. "Two weeks ago, I'm suddenly in Star City with Mom and the rest of the family and I realise how out of place I truly am." Sin thought about all the different experiences she'd been bombarded with in the last fortnight. "When Lian said that she was coming out here for a few days, I jumped at the invite. The city is a bit much for me sometimes."

"I can relate," Kara chuckled. "In reverse, but I do get where you're coming from."

"I'll bite," Sin said, resting her chin in her hand.

"I was a teenager when Krypton was destroyed. I woke up here and the infant I was sent to protect is way older than me, and the planet is way more primitive than what I'd come from," Kara said. "I really didn't have a purpose to keep me from being overwhelmed by it all."

"You seem to have adapted," Sin pointed out. Kara laughed.

"Probably because I get the occasional respite and get to screw around in Metropolis or San Francisco. At least enough that I don't dread coming back to chores and semi isolation," Kara replied. "I look forward to it now."

Sin chuckled at that. "Too bad I don't have that kind of retreat to somewhere quiet. Roy's offered to take me to the Reservation and introduce me to his tribe. But he's been so busy with the League, he hasn't found the time."

"You can always visit here if you want," Kara suggested. "Granted our days are usually chores and stuff."

"If Mrs Kent doesn't mind, I'd like that," Sin said.

"Ma would love it!" Kara laughed. "And at the Tower there's a sense of sanctuary. It's on an island in the middle of the Bay."

"That's pretty much how Lian talked me into joining the team," Sin smirked.

"Just be careful in this one section of the garden," Kara warned. "Kori planted some doozies in there."

Sin laughed. "Yeah I got that warning from Lian, too."

"Well you can judge for yourself tomorrow," Kara suggested. "And if you ever do need someone to talk to, I have a really good sense of hearing."

"That I definitely appreciate," Sin said.

"Not a problem. We better get some sleep, because if I know Tim, tomorrow's gonna be nuts," Kara suggested, lifting off from the roof and holding a hand out to Sin. Kara floated them to the ground and bid Sin goodnight. Sin headed for the coach as Kara slipped into the house.

Milagro conjured a sleek plane to fly the team to San Francisco the following morning. As Kara had predicted, Tim had a detailed plan for the surprise party they'd be throwing for Connor and Cassie later that night. Sin was able to relax and help out in the kitchen doing food prep. She fell into a rhythm familiar to her from her days in the monastery. Kara checked in on her and was relieved to see that Sin wasn't at all overwhelmed with all the new faces.

"See? Told you," Connor Kent teased later that evening as he followed Cassie Sandsmark into the Lounge of the Tower.

"Surprise!"

"You were saying?" Cassie teased. Connor chuckled and shook his head. "Like Tim and Bart were going to let a little thing like us getting engaged, slip."

"You win," Connor laughed, as he held up his hands in defeat.

"I always do," Cassie smirked and kissed his cheek.

"Dude…really? You haven't gotten one on her in years," Bart scoffed.

"Welcome to the team," Cassie told Sin a little later as the party wore on.

"Thanks," Sin smiled genuinely. "And congratulations."

"How much has Dinah told you?" Cassie asked.

"Everything." Sin laughed as Cassie groaned and rolled her eyes.

"You'll fit in just fine," Cassie muttered.


	35. Inspiration

Inspiration

_A/N: The day I have dreaded for some time has come. One of the most iconic people of our time has passed from this earth. A long time influence and inspiration of mine has received his final reward. Enkosi Madiba._

The television had the morning news on in the background as the team ate breakfast. Cerdian looked up as the news anchor commented on the significance of the day and what it meant for so many people around the world. "That was one of the first things Dad looked up when we were returned to this dimension," he murmured.

"What was?" Lian asked. Cerdian pointed to the screen and the others turned to look.

"Dad always said that Mandela represented the ideals of our people in their purest form," Cerdian stated. "According to Orin, his passing was honoured in Atlantis as well as Themyscira." They watched as the news presented a segment on the anniversary of Nelson Mandela's passing.

"I remember that day," Sin added wistfully. "We had some Tibetan monks staying the night at the monastery, on their way home from a pilgrimage. They'd been listening to the radio on their travels and I remember the master asking one of the younger monks why his eyes were red with grief. The monk replied that his hero was gone," Sin recalled. "Several in the monastery had met him in the past…there was a lot of praying that night."

"Dad told me he was gutted when he'd heard the news," Lian added. "He said Kyle told him, after Dad returned to the Watchtower from a mission."

Iris toyed with her food as Jai sighed. "Mom said that it was one of those news day she'd rather not have been working." She set her fork aside and folded her arms on the table. "I can't think of anyone in our family who wasn't at least a bit grief stricken that day."

Jai contemplated his coffee for a moment before continuing. "Aunt Iris was apparently nearly inconsolable over at the Gazette."

"It's strange," Milagro mused. "That is one of those days you'll always remember in some context or another. Brenda was over and she a wreck for days afterwards."

"It's the only time I recall seeing Alfred cry," Damian murmured.

"Seriously?" Jai asked.

"Alfred is still a great admirer of his…even after all this time," Damian replied.

Chris smiled sadly as he recalled his own memories. "They were dancing in celebration of Madiba's life in Soweto, at the same time as they wept in the most profound grief I've ever seen."

"You were there?" Cerdian asked, as the others all turned to look at Chris.

He nodded. "Mom and Dad had been sent by The Planet to do a story on the mood in South Africa. Madiba died on our second day there."

"You're not leaving it at that," Iris declared.

"Spill," Lian added. Sin pointed at the two as she waited to hear what else Chris might say.

"It was nearly midnight," Chris said. "I remember that it was really late. Mom came and woke me up and said we were going into Soweto. They'd gotten the job because they'd met Madiba professionally several times."

"Alfred can quote a piece your foster mother wrote in twenty ten," Damian supplied.

"She'll love that," Chris replied. "We got in the car and headed for Soweto and I remember thinking that it was weird that so many people were out that late. We managed to get to the next street over from Vilakazi Street and it was packed."

"You even remember the street?" Jai mused.

"It has the distinction of being the only street in the world to be the home of two Noble Laureates," Chris chuckled. "Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu." He paused for a moment before continuing his story. "We ended up staying there until mid-morning the following day. Mom and Dad had both written up and fired off their pieces to The Planet within an hour of arriving there. We stayed and celebrated and mourned with the crowd. That's why it's easier for me to say Madiba than Mandela. That's what everyone was calling him…by his tribal name. I don't think I'll forget that as long as I live."

"I don't think anybody will," Milagro pointed out. "He was like our generation's version of Ghandi."

"A bit before our generation, but true none the less," Damian said.

Sin raised her glass and the others followed suit. "May his dream of freedom, equality, hope, tolerance, reconciliation, and peace live on," she toasted. Glasses and coffee cups clinked as the eight youths toasted the great icon of South Africa.


	36. Well That's Galling

Well That's Galling

_A/N: __MusicisLife321 wanted some Jai and Lian…here you go! Jai is going to suffer and make Lian suffer right along with him. This is basically what I've been dealing with for the last three weeks now._

Lian was woken in the predawn by the sound of retching. "Are you alright?" she asked, shuffling into the bathroom where Jai was sitting on the edge of the tub with his head in his hands. Jai shook his head no and lurched forwards to empty the contents of his stomach into the toilet.

"Dinner didn't sit well with me, I guess," Jai groaned, when the coughing and retching subsided.

"You don't say," Lian mocked, handing him a glass of water. Jai shot her a withering look before rinsing his mouth out. "You did try to rival your dad and Irey in the chowing down department, last night," she added.

"I was hungry," Jai muttered. "My stomach has been feeling weird for the last couple of days. Maybe I have that bug that's been floating around town," he added.

"How do you mean weird?" Lian asked, refilling Jai's glass and handing it back to him.

"It feels sore like here, here, and here," he replied, pointing to different spots on his abdomen.

"I'd go see a doctor about that," Lian commented. "That's a little too specific for stomach flu."

"I was thinking that too," Jai shrugged. "I have an appointment at eleven."

"I'll be at the dojo then, so call me when you're done at the doctors," Lian asked. Jai gave her a salute off his brow before leaning on his knees and focusing on calming his stomach.

Jai entered the doctor's office half an hour before his appointment and signed in. It was November and the office was packed with people with colds or worse. Jai hoped that it had been long enough since receiving his flu shot that the vaccine had kicked in. He barely settled in when he was called into the back. Jai glared at the blood pressure machine as it took his blood pressure. He'd always hated the things, because he felt that the cuffs were always put on far too tight. The young nurse led Jai to a smaller room and let him know that the doctor would be in shortly. Jai doffed his jacket and gingerly took a seat on the table to wait.

"What did your woman do to you this time?" the doctor teased when he entered. He knew Jai and Lian from the dojo where his daughters took martial arts.

"Hey Dr Kahn. Nah, Lian isn't the cause of today's visit," Jai chuckled. He went on to describe what had been bothering him for the last several days. Doctor Kahn frowned and had Jai lay down and lift his tee. He pressed at various points on Jai's abdomen and asked Jai how it felt. "That's stiff kinda…oooo yeah, that felt wonderful," Jai grimaced a moment later. "That hurt like hell," he admitted.

Doctor Kahn indicated that Jai could sit up with a jerk of his thumb. "Gallstones most likely," he declared. Jai cocked an eyebrow. "Is there a family history by any chance?"

"It just got easier to list who on my mother's side of the family hasn't had gall bladder issues," Jai replied.

"Alright, I'll be back in a few minutes. I'm going to schedule you for an ultrasound and to meet with Doctor Ng to schedule surgery," Doctor Kahn informed Jai.

"Surgery?" Jai swallowed.

"It feels pretty full in there," the doctor replied. "You will have to have it removed. It is the most effective treatment and it is a very common and safe surgery."

"Thanks Mom," Jai muttered after the doctor left. He got off the table and put his jacket back on. Doctor Kahn came back in and let Jai know that he had the ultrasound appointment in an hour and to go get blood work done as well.

"Have you eaten anything today?"

"Two glasses of water this morning…that's it."

"Perfect," Doctor Kahn smiled. "Don't eat anything until after the ultrasound and blood work. You have an appointment with Doctor Ng tomorrow morning at ten." He handed Jai several forms to take with him and directions to the lab where the blood work could be done.

Jai got the blood work done first and then headed to the hospital for his ultrasound appointment. There were a few times the tech caused him discomfort as she pressed the scanner against his abdomen. Finished, he left the hospital and headed for the dojo. The door was locked, so he figured that Lian and Wai were having lunch. Jai took his key out and let himself in. Lian looked up as he reached the top of the stairs and asked how his appointment went.

"Linda is on my list," Jai muttered as he took a seat. "Thanks," he added as Lian handed him a bowl of rice and vegetables.

Lian cocked an eyebrow at that. "Okay…why is your mom in trouble?"

"She gave me her crappy gall bladder genes," Jai replied. Wai winced in sympathy as he watched the two. "I have an appointment with a surgeon tomorrow to get it yanked," Jai added.

"Have fun with that," Lian teased. Jai smirked.

"You too. Guess who'll be babysitting me afterwards?"

"Linda's a dead woman," Lian agreed. Wai laughed.

"It is not that bad, young River. I had to have mine removed years ago," Wai assured Jai. "You're not teaching here for a while though."

Jai gave Wai an amused look. "At least a month is what Dr Kahn said."

"Who is your surgeon?"

"Uh, some dude named, Ng."

"He'll make you take two months off," Wai replied.

"It's a laparoscopic procedure," Jai gaped. "Four little cuts, that big," he said, holding his forefinger and thumb half an inch apart.

"And what will he be cutting through?" Wai asked, leaning on the table and casually pointing towards Jai's stomach. Jai let his mouth form an 'oh' shape as Wai's point sunk in. "I might add, that this will affect your third job too," he added, referring to the Titans.

"Not really," Lian replied. "Jai will just get to sit on his ass in front of a bank of ridiculously powerful and expensive computers, and wreak havoc from there."

"That's right. Your aunt just recently joined the team, didn't she, Little Willow?" Wai asked.

"Yup. We're definitely the lethal ninja Titans," Lian laughed.

Jai rolled his eyes. "So Uncle Wai, I hate to tell you this but I can't teach Tae Kwon Do for a couple of months. At least not hands on," he smirked.

"I have a back-up plan, just in case," Wai replied. "You're easy to replace…Little Willow is not," he teased.

"Thanks," Jai scoffed as Lian howled in laughter.

The three of them talked and ate for a while longer, before Jai left to go home and Lian and Wai opened the dojo back up for the rest of the day. Later that evening, Lian came home to find Jai in the kitchen making a simple meal for the pair of them, that he figured he could safely eat. "Oh goody, cardboard for the next week or two," Lian teased, thanking Jai for dinner. "Oh shit," she added a moment later. "What if you have surgery next week? It's Thanksgiving." Their plans were to go to Star City and celebrate the holiday with Lian's family.

"We'll find out tomorrow," Jai shrugged. "And if I do have to go in next week, I can just go and curl up in a ball at Ollie's place on Thursday. We'll see."

"True," Lian agreed. "If worse comes to worse, Connor makes a few vegetarian dishes that you should be able to handle." Jai nodded his agreement. "This is bothering you isn't it?" she asked, noticing Jai's quiet look.

Jai frowned for a moment. "It's bothering me that this really isn't bothering me…does that make any sense?"

Lian's eyes drifted around for a moment as she figured out what he'd said. "It does, I guess. The thought of this happening isn't really an issue for you?"

"Considering the family history, no," Jai replied. "I guess I've always suspected that I'd be one of the Park Clan stats."

"At least you're getting it out the way when you're still young and can bounce back quickly," Lian suggested.

"Now I'm really worried," Jai laughed. "You're looking at the positive? Now I know the apocalypse is upon us!" He laughed and dodged the punch she aimed at his arm.

"Shut up and eat, asshole," Lian playfully growled.

The following morning, Jai arrived as his appointment early. He filled in all the required documents and handed over his driver's licence and insurance card for the nurse to take photo copies of. He was led to one of the consultation rooms, where he waited for a couple of minutes before the surgeon walked in. Doctor Ng gave a surprised look when Jai greeted him in Vietnamese. "Jai's not a Vietnamese name," he noted.

"My missus," Jai replied, waving his fingers in quotation marks. "Is half Vietnamese."

"Ah, okay. Well you definitely have gall stones," Doctor Ng stated. He began describing the procedure when Jai took over. "That's impressive."

"The list of folks on my mother's side of the family who have had a cholecystectomy is a lot longer than the ones who haven't," Jai replied.

"Oh, so you're well versed on this," the doctor grinned.

Jai nodded. "Can I keep the stones?" he asked hopefully, taking out his mobile and searching through his photo files.

"Uh…"

"A family friend would be mad if I didn't at least ask," Jai chuckled. "This is one of the rooms at her house," he added, holding up his mobile to show the doctor a picture of Tamara Drake-Wayne's mini museum of the macabre. "It's a replica of the Mütter Museum one," Jai said when the doctor commented on an item in the photo.

"Wow…" Doctor Ng gaped. "I'll see what I can do for your friend."

"Tam will love you forever," Jai chuckled.

"Wow…uh, can I ask what you do for a living? Where do you work?" Doctor Ng asked, getting back to business.

"I work part time at Chun Dojo teaching Tae Kwon Do, and yes I've already told him that I'll be out of commission for a while," Jai replied.

"Two months at the bare minimum," the doctor added.

"My full time job is video game designer and I do that from home."

"You'll be able to go back to that in a day or two." Door Ng made a few notes on Jai's file and added that the hospital would call him to set up an appointment to pre-register for the surgery. "Unless it gets worse, you'll be going in Tuesday morning," he said. "If it does get too bad, call this number and then go and get admitted at the emergency room." He went on to tell Jai what constituted a visit to the emergency room.

"Okay, thanks a lot," Jai replied. He took the folder the doctor handed him and left.

Jai had barely opened the front door when his mobile went off. The hospital was calling to tell him to come in on the Monday to pre-register and what all to bring with him. "Great," he muttered. Looking around he decided to meet up with Lian at the dojo so the pair of them could head up to San Francisco and the Tower. "I'll be curled up in a little ball at Ollie's on Thursday," Jai told her, as they headed for the teleporter.

"Really?"

"I go in Tuesday. We have to be here pretty early on Monday, because I have to go pre-register for the surgery," Jai informed her.

"I better call Aunt Dinah and let her know," Lian said when they arrived at the Tower. "No one's here yet?"

"Well Irey and D don't get here until later normally," Jai pointed out.

Lian agreed with a nod of her head and took out her mobile. "Hey Aunt Dinah…you were? Well that's convenient, because Jai has to go in for gall bladder surgery on Tuesday," Lian laughed. "Yeah, that's why I was calling, to tell you that Jai won't be any real shape to eat. Okay then, we'll see you guys whenever. Bye," Lian ended the call and looked at Jai. "Thanksgiving is already postponed because Dad and Connor got the short straws at the Watchtower and Mia can't make it until the following week at least."

"That worked out," Jai grinned.

"What worked out?" Sin asked, as she entered the living area.

"Did Aunt Dinah tell you that Thanksgiving is postponed?" Lian asked. Sin shook her head no and Lian proceeded to explain the conversation she'd just had with Sin's adoptive mother.

"Oh ouch," Sin grimaced, looking at Jai. "And that would be Mom calling to tell me," Sin added with a laugh as her mobile went off.

"Dinah's ringtone is 'Ding dong the witch is dead'?" Jai gaped.

"She programmed it in, not me," Sin replied before answering the call. "Yeah hi, Lian just told me."

Jai looked between the two and shook his head. "Your family is messed up," he laughed.

"You're just now realising that?" Lian scoffed.

"Realising what?" Chris asked as he came in.

"That us Arrows are screwed in the head," Sin smirked, after ending her call.

"I knew that before I ever met any of you," Cerdian chuckled as he joined them. "Dad has horror stories," he added with a wink.

"And we're…still the last to show up," Iris joked as she rushed in with Damian. "No wait, we're missing a Mexican."

Cerdian closed his eyes for a moment before smiling. "No she's here already. Probably taking a nap or something. I sense her upstairs."

"We're last," Damian chuckled.

"Out of curiosity, what do you have planned for us to wreak havoc on this weekend?" Jai asked.

Damian raised a curious brow, but answered. "I'll be needing you to see if you can hack into Lexcorps for me. Why?"

"Okay that I can do!" Jai smirked.

"Why?" Damian asked again.

Jai looked to his sister. "I inherited the Park family gene for crappy gall bladders. Guess what's getting yanked on Tuesday?"

"Oh my God," Iris laughed. "Have you told them yet?"

"Nope. I can't come up with an opener that doesn't involve threatening Mom," Jai replied with a smirk.

"Twenty is a bit young for that, isn't it?" Damian asked.

Jai and Iris both shook their heads no. "In Mom's family, twenty is actually pretty old."

"She had her's yanked when she was fifteen," Jai added. "Quit staring at my insides," he said to Chris.

"How has that not bothered you until now?" Chris asked. "It's pretty clogged up in there."

"What's a gall bladder?" Cerdian murmured. Chris turned his x-ray vision to the Atlantean's innards.

"An organ that thanks to being slightly more evolved than our teammates here, you and I don't have to worry about," Chris smirked.

"It's an organ?" Cerdian grimaced. "Don't you kind of need all of those to function?"

"It is most likely a redundant hold-over from our earlier more primitive ancestors," Damian surmised. "People function just fine if they do have to have it removed."

"Okay," Cerdian replied. "So it's like the appendix and wisdom teeth, then? Those two I have heard of."

"Atlanteans don't get wisdom teeth, either?" Chris grinned.

"They occasionally show up, but for the most part we don't have them."

"I was wondering when you guys were going to show up," Milagro said around a yawn as she joined the others. "I was on Oa and came straight here afterwards," she added when asked why she was early. "So who has wisdom teeth issues?" she asked, having heard the end of the conversation.

"Nobody, but Jai's getting his gall bladder yanked," Iris laughed.

"Ooo. Jaime and I have a bet going to see which one of us has theirs pulled first," Milagro replied. "Our family has a bad history with them."

"So do we on Mom's side," Jai told her, indicating himself and Iris.

The weekend was spent with training for the most part while Jai cracked into the Lexcorps mainframe for Damian. He found what Damian was hoping for and handed over several flash drives with the information on them. Jai and Iris found a quiet moment one evening to call their parents. Iris put her mobile on speaker phone and laughed as she dialled. "Still haven't figured out how to tell them without threatening Mom first?"

"Hello?" Linda Park-West answered just then.

"I hate you and your crappy genetics," Jai chuckled.

"Love you too, Honey. Let me guess…gall bladder?" Linda replied.

"Give that woman a white chocolate mocha!" Iris cackled.

"When is it coming out?" Linda asked.

"Tuesday morning," Jai replied.

"Well call here when you get home and let us know how it went," Linda said. "You'll be fine, it's no real big deal."

"Yeah I know, I'm not worried about it," Jai told her. They talked for a while longer before hanging up.

"Call me too, once you've called the 'rents," Iris asked her brother.

"And let Tam know that I did ask to keep the stones, just for her," Jai chuckled.

"She'll love that," Iris laughed.

Jai and Lian left early on Sunday afternoon. Sin said she'd join them on Tuesday to keep Lian company while Jai was in surgery. The others wished him good luck and a speedy recovery. Jai went to his pre-operative appointment the next morning and got registered and informed of what he would need to do. He returned home and found Lian and Sin at the kitchen table having tea. "No dojo?" he asked Lian as he joined the two.

"Uncle Wai went to Oregon for Thanksgiving," Lian reminded him.

"Oh that's right!"

"So when do you have to be there to get hacked?" Sin asked, smirking into her teacup.

"Eight in the morning."

"Wow, that's early," Lian murmured.

"I don't get wheeled in until about nine thirty. They have to pump me full of drugs and shit first," Jai said.

Jai was up early the following morning and glaring at the coffee pot. He had not been allowed to ingest anything after midnight the night before. "Not even water?" Sin asked, as she made some tea.

"Nope," Jai growled. "I want coffee," he intoned mournfully.

"You can have your coffee later," Lian scolded. "If you want, we can leave here in a couple of minutes?" she suggested, looking at the time.

"Might as well," Jai shrugged.

He got up from the table and went to look for his jacket. Lian and Sin hurriedly finished their tea and went out to find Jai and leave. Jai checked in at the hospital and the three of them found seats in the waiting room. A nurse called for Jai and Lian and Sin waved him off and wished him good luck. The pre-op nurse had him change into a hospital gown and tuck himself into the bed. She returned after a few minutes and began hooking Jai up to the various machines that would monitor his vital signs. "Okay, that's way too tight," he told her about the blood pressure cuff. She readjusted it and it still felt too tight for Jai's liking.

"Hello, you're Jai?" a middle aged Asian man in scrubs asked, as he popped his head into Jai's room. Jai smirked when he heard the accent.

"Yes, and you are?" he replied in Korean.

"Doctor Kim! I'm the one who is going to be making sure you stay knocked out," Doctor Kim grinned. The nurse looked between the two as they continued to talk away in Korean. A mild burning sensation in an area Jai wasn't expecting caused him to stop and stare at the nurse.

"I wanted to warn you but I didn't want to interrupt," she smiled softly. "It'll pass in a minute," she added as she administered another drug into his IV.

"I hope so," Jai replied. "Sichuan asshole burn is not a pleasant feeling," he added as the sensation passed. The nurse blushed at Jai's colourful description while Doctor Kim howled in laughter.

"You're funny," Doctor Kim proclaimed, before telling Jai that he'd see him again in a couple of minutes.

"Is there anyone here with you?" the nurse asked.

"Two Asian girls that were in the back corner of the waiting room," Jai replied. The nurse left to fetch Lian and Sin. "The anaesthesiologist is Korean," he grinned, when they entered.

"Is that the comedian we saw out at the nurse's station?" Sin asked. The nurse laughed and said that it was.

Doctor Kim returned along with Doctor Ng to check if Jai was ready. "Oh pretty ladies," Doctor Kim grinned, greeting Lian and Sin.

"We have him covered," Lian replied, jerking her thumb at Doctor Ng.

"You're why he knows how to say hi in Vietnamese," Doctor Ng asked Lian in her mother's native language. Lian nodded and added that Jai could also start bar fights in Vietnamese.

"Good skill to have if you can back it up," Doctor Ng replied in English. "We'll be wheeling you back in about another ten minutes," he told Jai. "The procedure should take about forty five minutes unless I have to switch over to a larger incision. Then it'll be about an hour and a half. Jai will then spend an hour in recovery before we bring him out here for another hour or so, and then you can take him home," he informed Lian and Sin.

"We'll be in the waiting room," Lian stated.

"You live right nearby, right?" Doctor Ng asked.

"Three minutes or so," Lian replied.

"You can go home. We'll call you when he's done," Doctor Ng told her with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"Seriously?" Sin asked.

"See ya," Lian told Jai as she stood up. She bent down and kissed Jai's brow, while Sin ruffled his hair. The two doctors led them out.

"Okay, I'm going to administer something to help you relax," the nurse informed Jai.

"I am relaxed," Jai said. A second nurse came in and introduced himself as Seth. Jai heard him say that they were going to the operating room and watched as he was wheeled out. "Damn that shit works fast," he commented, realising that he couldn't feel anything. His words came out as a slurred mumble he would learn later. 'Kick ass music,' Jai mused as he was wheeled into the operating room. Classic rock was playing in the background. Jai registered Doctor Ng standing next to him and then everything went black.

Jai opened his eyes and saw that the room he was in was dimly lit. "Where the fuck…?"

"Oh you're awake already," a female voice said off to his side.

Jai snapped his head in her direction and saw a different nurse tending to the machines he was hooked up to. "Sorry about that," he apologised for his swearing. "Where am I?"

"Recovery. You got here about five minutes ago," the nurse replied.

"They're done?" Jai marvelled. "I was just in there commenting on the music."

"Nope. You're done," she informed him. "Everything went well and you just got rolled into here a few minutes ago. I'm Monica by the way."

"Nice to meet you," Jai said. "Can I sit up a bit, please?" Monica raised the head of Jai's bed and he sighed in relief. "Thanks, my stomach was protesting me being flat on my back."

"How do you feel pain-wise?" Monica asked.

"Sore, like I ran a marathon, but nothing major," Jai replied. "Granted I have the pain tolerance of a bull elephant in must," he added.

Monica talked with him for several more minutes, monitoring the time and paying attention to everything Jai was saying and how he said it. "You win the prize for waking up the fastest today," she declared a few minutes later.

"Is first prize a discount on the bill?" Jai teased. He already knew that his insurance would cover everything. 'Thank God for super hero insurance," he thought.

"I was told you were funny," Monica laughed. "I'm going to keep you here for another ten minutes and then hand you over to Janet in post-op," she told him.

"Okay, cool," Jai shrugged. The automated blood pressure machine took his measurements again and he frowned. "Please tell me you can take the python off now," he asked, indicating the cuff. Monica checked the reading and said that she could. "What was the name of the one who put it there?" Jai asked, sighing in relief as the cuff was removed.

"Lynne, why she had it on too tight?"

"I told her that and she readjusted it to as tight as it had originally been," Jai informed Monica.

"Sorry about that," Monica apologised on her co-worker's behalf. "You well-muscled types are kind of hard to get accurate readings on if it isn't somewhat snug."

Jai held his arm up and cocked an eyebrow at her. "What muscles? I have chicken arms."

"Keep telling yourself that," Monica teased. "You are very lean, I'll give you that, but you are also very muscular." Doctor Ng came in just then to see if Jai was awake.

"Wow you're awake already," he commented. Monica told him that she was just about to have Jai sent to post-op. "That's good," he enthused. "Everything went fine. I almost had to swap over to a larger incision, because you have some pretty impressive abdominal muscles, but I didn't need to in the end. You will be bruised though," he warned.

"Chicken arms, huh?" Monica teased.

"Okay, so I'm fit," Jai admitted. "Like bruised, how?" Jai asked Doctor Ng.

"Like don't freak if your entire stomach turns black and blue," he replied. "Call the office later today or tomorrow and set up a follow up appointment for two weeks and I'll see you then," Doctor Ng added. He left the recovery room and Monica wheeled Jai out to post-op.

"Okay Janet, he's all yours," Monica said. "See ya later, Scrawny," she teased, before she left.

Jai laughed and then winced. "Okay, no humour for a few days," he muttered.

Janet handed him a pillow to place over his abdomen. "You have a Cynthia and Lian waiting for you, right?" she asked. Jai said that he did and Janet went to go look for them. She returned alone. "They're not here yet, but I have the admission nurse on the lookout for them," Janet said. "You hungry, thirsty?"

"Yes and yes," Jai muttered. Janet gave him a few choices of juice and muffins to choose from. He opted for cranberry juice and a blueberry muffin. Janet brought them to him along with a glass of ice water. Jai drained both drinks and nearly inhaled the muffin.

"Your appetite's good," Janet remarked. "How's the pain?"

"Not bad, nothing to write home about," Jai replied.

"That's because you haven't tried moving around yet," Janet chuckled. A nurse led Lian and Sin in to see Jai just then.

"That was quick," Lian commented. "Doctor Ng just called about half an hour ago to say he just finished on you and that everything went okay."

"I apparently came out of anaesthesia the fastest today," Jai said.

"How do you feel?" Sin asked.

"Like you two had one of your better work outs on my guts," Jai chuckled.

"Something we won't be doing for a while," Sin muttered. Lian laughed.

"All three of us are martial arts experts," Lian explained to Janet, when she saw the odd look the nurse was giving them. Janet nodded and Lian asked if Jai had been allowed to keep his gallstones.

"I can look into that for you," Janet offered. She excused herself for a few moments before returning with a jar. "Boy, you had a colony in there," she remarked, handing it over to Jai.

"Looks like sand with some gravel in it," Jai said, holding up the small jar. "That reduced me to a vomiting ball of misery?"

"Well the Doc did say your gall bladder was angry looking," Lian shrugged. "Tam will be thrilled."

Jai smirked. "There's one Christmas present crossed off."

"You have one of those oddity collector friends?" Janet chuckled.

"Yeah, her house is a regular little shop of horrors," Jai replied.

"I'll leave you to change," Janet said. "You two can follow me if you like," she added for Lian and Sin.

They left and Jai sat up. "That's what she meant," he murmured. His abdomen had protested to the movement. Jai gingerly got dressed and opened the door to his room. Lian and Sin were just outside and offered to help him walk. Janet came up just then with a wheelchair.

"We'll roll him outside," she said. Sin took the keys from Lian and went to get the car. Outside, Janet and Lian helped Jai get into the passenger seat. He had his eyes closed and was wincing.

"Doctor Ng said that he had a pain prescription waiting for you at the pharmacy, so we'll go get that," Lian commented. At the pharmacy, Lian held her arm out for Jai and they went to the back to get the prescription. Sin took off for an Asian store next door to get a favourite ginger tea for Jai.

"I know you use your abs all the time for balance, but Jesus," Jai groaned, when they got back to the car.

"That bad huh?" Sin asked.

"Oh yeah," Jai replied. "I can tell you exactly where the incisions are…inside and out."

"Just remember," Lian warned. "You're not Chris."

"Thanks Mom," Jai snorted. They got home and Jai shuffled inside. Lian got a blanket and some pillows for Jai and made him comfortable on the recliner. Sin made a cup of the ginger tea and brought it out to him once he was settled in. "Where's my phone?" he asked. Sin handed it to him and he called his parents first. "I'm home," he told Wally when he answered.

"How'd it go?" he asked.

"Pretty fast, but I feel like hell now," Jai admitted. "Thanks," he added when Lian handed him one of the pain pills.

"Your mom told me that the first few days are the roughest," Wally said.

"Tell her I'm still mad at her for giving me her bad genes," Jai joked. Wally said that he would and told his son to rest. "As soon as I finish calling Irey," Jai promised.

In Gotham, Iris looked at the caller ID on her mobile before answering. "You're done?"

"Yup. And tell Tam I have a present for her," Jai chuckled.

"They let Jai keep the stones," Iris informed Tam.

"Yes!" she cheered.

"Just what I need," Tim muttered. "A jar of Jai's gut contents in my house." Tam laughed, while Iris and Damian winced.

"I'm glad you're okay," Iris told her brother. "How do you feel?"

"Like hell," Jai admitted.

"Well take it easy and try not to drive Lian nuts," Iris added.

"I have Sin here too…for the night at least," Jai said.

"Have fun with that," Iris teased. She laughed as Jai blew a raspberry over the call. "Take care and get some rest," she ordered.

"Not much I can do about that, Irey," Jai told his twin. "Moving sucks ass."

They talked for a few more minutes and then hung up. Jai dozed off and on for most of the day. Lian made him a simple dinner of noodle soup. Jai devoured it. "Thanks…I am starving."

"Take it easy," Lian reminded him. "I doubt hurling all over the place will help your wounds."

"I know, I know," he groaned. "Can I have some bread though?" Lian went to fetch him a slice of bread and Jai thanked her before gobbling it down.

Sin said she was going to take a walk and Jai offered to join her. Lian handed him his jacket and all three of them walked down to the beach to watch the sun set. Jai said that he felt a little better from the walk when they got back to the house. They watched television for a few hours before Lian and Sin both retired for the night. Jai had already said that he'd be sleeping in the recliner. He made another cup of ginger tea and played with his computer for a while before making his way over to his temporary bed. While he was adjusting the blankets he noticed that his right hand looked strange. Turning on the kitchen light he balked. It was an angry red colour like a rash. It didn't itch or burn but it still concerned him. Looking at the papers he'd be given at discharge he cringed when he saw that a rash meant going to the emergency room. He swore under his breath as he went to go wake Lian. She was wide awake when she saw his arm and hurriedly got dressed.

"What's up?" Sin asked, having woken up to use the bathroom. Jai showed her his hand and arm and she flinched.

"Stay here and I'll take him," Lian said. "I'll call if I have to," she added. Sin nodded.

At the emergency room, Jai was quickly admitted and settled in. Lian sat with him as he had blood drawn and the doctor studied his arm. The doctor confirmed that he'd made the right decision to come in after asking which arm Jai had the IV in. "You had the blood pressure cuff on that one?" he asked, indicating the arm with the rash.

"Yup. It was tight too," he replied.

"We'll see what your blood work says, but that's weird," the doctor admitted. Jai and Lian waited in the room for an hour before the results came back. The doctor was joined by the emergency surgeon on staff and they both studied Jai's arm again.

"I've only ever seen this happen once before," the emergency surgeon admitted. "The cuff was tight enough that it concentrated some of the drugs they gave you, in your arm and now you're having a mild allergic reaction."

"I told her," Jai muttered.

"We're going to give you a steroid shot to counter the reaction," the doctor said. "Then you're free to go." Jai got the shot and he and Lian left.

"You can't do anything normally, can you?" Sin stated, once they got home and told her.

"Normal's over-rated," Jai growled. He was in a dark mood since learning what had caused the rash. "I hate those damn things."

Lian and Sin went back to bed and Jai settled into his chair for the night. It was nearly dawn before he finally fell asleep for a while. Lian woke up and went to check on him. She looked at his arm and noticed that it looked a lot better than it had the night before. Sin stayed until around noon before leaving to beat the holiday traffic to Star City. She asked to be called if anything else came up and Lian promised to. "We'll see you on Wednesday of nothing else," she said as Sin got into her car. Lian watched her drive away before going back inside. Jai had fallen back to sleep, so she quietly made a light dinner for the pair of them. The smells woke Jai and he went out to see what she was making. "Simple stir fry," she replied.

"I should be able to handle that."

The following day was Thanksgiving. As Jai and Lian wouldn't be having that until the following week with her family, they spent the day walking along the beach. Jai was able to take a shower and Lian offered to help. "Nah I got this," he said. "I'll call out if I need a hand."

"Okay. We're having pasta and salad for dinner, how's that sound?" she asked.

"Food," Jai moaned appreciatively. Lian went to make dinner while Jai took his shower. "That's it?" he said to his reflection in the mirror. He removed the bandages covering his incisions and was surprised to see how small they were. His abdomen was a vivid shade of purple, especially around his naval. Jai turned the shower on and gingerly stepped in. Washing his legs proved to be an exercise and he nearly caved to call out for Lian to help him, but he was almost done. Getting partially dressed he shuffled into the living room. "That sucked," he called out, letting Lian know he was done.

Lian came out with a frown on her face before gaping at the sight of his bruised stomach. "Holy shit!"

"The warm water made it feel worse, actually," Jai said. "Help me get this on?" he asked, handing Lian his tee. Lian carefully helped him put the shirt on and he flopped back into the chair. Lian placed a blanket over his lap before going out to the kitchen to finish dinner. She brought it out and set it on the coffee table. They watched a bunch of B-rated movies as they ate. "Don't make me laugh," Jai demanded several times. Lian had a running commentary going that had cracked him up.

The next few days were frustrating for Jai. Twinges of pain or a constant dull ache reminded him that he was still healing and had to take it easy. Lian took care of him without complaint and Jai began to feel guilty. He went to the florist and got her a bouquet of her favourite flowers as thanks. "You didn't have to do that, Dummy," she said. "Thank you though, they're lovely," she added, inhaling the sweet fragrance of the chrysanthemums.

"This is driving me insane and you are beyond qualifying for a saint," Jai told her. Lian playfully smacked him.

"Thank God this thing comes out in Grandpa Ollie's basement," she said a day later as they headed to the dojo to teleport to Star City.

"A basement with steep ass stairs," Jai said when they materialised at Oliver Queen's home. Jai was slightly pale when they reached the top of the stairs. Dinah took one look at him and had him sit at the kitchen table.

"How bad's the bruising…ouch," Dinah asked, as Jai lifted his shirt.

"That's what's kicking his ass," Lian chimed in. She slid behind Connor to get the kettle going.

"Is there anything you've had trouble eating?" Connor Hawke asked.

"Bok choy," Jai replied. "Any veggie that makes you belch, but bok choy has been the worst so far."

Connor scanned the various dishes. "I think you'll be okay with what we have."

"And anything greasy or fatty," Lian piped up. Jai snapped his fingers and pointed at her.

"What she said."

"Dessert might be tricky," Dinah said. She listed off what they had made.

"The mangoes with just a little of the sticky rice and coconut milk should be okay," Jai told her.

"I'm home! You look like hell," Mia stated as she came in through the back door.

"I just had my gall bladder yanked," Jai told her. Mia gave him a sympathetic smile.

"It'll take a while, but you'll feel like a million bucks," she assured him. "I had mine out a few years ago."

"I wouldn't mind skipping to the million bucks part," Jai chuckled.

"Because of the abs, you bruised badly didn't you?" Jai nodded and showed Mia his stomach.

"You sure Lian didn't kick the crap out of you in the middle of the night?" Mia teased. Lian flipped her off and sipped from her tea. She offered Jai some but he wanted coffee instead.

"Dad and Grandpa, are…?" Lian asked, handing Jai his coffee.

"Outside with Sin," Connor chuckled.

"I'll let 'em know we're here," Lian shrugged. She backhanded Mia on the arm as she walked past, causing Mia and Jai to both laugh. "Only you two," Lian commented when she saw how Roy and Ollie were cooking the turkey.

"It's good grilled," Roy defended, hugging his daughter. "How's Jai?"

"Impressing Aunt Dinah and Mia with his itty bitty incisions and really nasty bruising," Lian replied.

"I told them about the rash," Sin said.

"That was weird," Ollie agreed. "Is Jai going to be able to eat anything?"

"I saw what Connor's making, he'll be okay," Lian offered. "You didn't spice the hell out of that, did you?"

"No," Ollie assured her. "I knew Jai wouldn't be able to eat anything too crazy."

"The other thing about us grilling it, is most of the fat will drip out of it," Roy pointed out.

"Point," Lian agreed.

"Go tell Dinah we'll be ready to eat in about half an hour, will you Hon?" Ollie asked. Lian and Sin went inside to pass on the news. Jai was helping Dinah set the table and offered to help out with anything else that needed done.

"Nope, that's it," Dinah told him. "We did a bunch of prep yesterday, too."

Dinner was served and Jai was grateful that most of it seemed safe enough. He insisted on helping clean up the dishes afterwards and Lian and Sin let him. He rinsed while they loaded the dishwasher, or hand washed some of the items. Jai passed on dessert entirely when it was offered a while later, claiming that he was full. He excused himself to go to the guestroom and change, as he and Lian were staying the night. He felt a bit ill and went to the bathroom for a while, sitting on the edge of the tub while his stomach irritated him. He retched a little and raised an eyebrow at what he saw. He also noticed that he felt a lot better.

"You okay? I heard hacking?" Lian asked when he re-joined her family.

"I am now, but that was weird," he replied. Mia guessed correctly that he'd only thrown up a small amount of dinner.

"It happened to me a few times when I had mine taken out," Mia assured him. "I would feel like hell, cough up some grease, and then feel great."

"Delightful," Dinah winced.

"I'm sympathising with him!" Mia defended. "I'm letting him know that it's okay and actually somewhat normal…given the circumstances."

"Okay Jai," Roy stated. "I'm sure your old man has told you of epic battles in the past…"

"Thanksgiving Monopoly?" Jai grinned.

"Prepare to die," Roy smirked.

"Yeah, good luck with that," Jai retorted. Jai ended up bowing out of the game an hour later claiming he needed to get some sleep. "I've been getting three or four hours at most," he said.

"If you need anything, feel free to holler," Dinah told him as he bid everyone goodnight.

"Will do. Night."

"One of us can take care of it if you want a break?" Dinah told Lian. Lian pursed her lips.

"I keep having to remind him that he's not an S-shield," she replied. "He even got me flowers yesterday, because he thinks he's running me into the ground."

"Even though he isn't?" Roy asked.

"You two, when you're laid up, are a workout," Lian told her father and adoptive grandfather. "Jai's about as bad as Connor."

"Incapable of admitting defeat," Dinah teased as Connor winced in sympathy.

"Mmhmm," Lian agreed. "He's managing about ten minutes of Tai Chi, before begging for mercy, then the idiot will go for a long walk instead and come home a ball of misery."

"It's the feeling of being helpless," Connor told her. "I hate it, and I can imagine he does as well."

"Jai's actually worse than Damian when it comes to being out of commission…if you can believe that," Lian said.

"Wow," Ollie murmured.

"I think what's irritating him the most is how his body is adjusting to digesting food differently now," Lian admitted.

"One day something doesn't bother him and then the next it damn near kills him?" Mia asked. Lian nodded.

"I was talking to his folks the other day and Linda said it was like that for her too," Lian said. "Jai wasn't too thrilled to hear it."

"He's still not mad at her, is he?" Sin asked.

Lian laughed. "No. He was just joking about that. He suspected that of Irey and him, it would be him that got the family curse." Lian paused for a moment. "I think he wasn't expecting it to happen to him so young."

"I was twenty five," Mia stated.

"And Linda was only fifteen when her's got yanked," Lian supplied. "Apparently Jai is one of the older Parks to get the chop."

"All you can do is remind him that this is common and that it will get better," Connor suggested. "I know…don't say it," he added to Dinah who was giving him a mocking look.

"Once the bruising fades, he'll be a lot better," Mia told Lian.

"I hope so," Lian muttered.

It was three in the morning when Jai awoke to a silent room. He blinked a few times and heard Lian shift in her sleep. Gingerly getting out of bed, he headed for the kitchen. "Hey Kiddo, how do you feel?" Roy asked.

"Alright, I just rolled onto the wrong side," Jai replied, gratefully accepting a cup of coffee from Roy. "And I apologise profusely for being a slave driver to your daughter," he added humbly. Roy snorted a laugh.

"She told us that it was the opposite, after you went to bed," he said.

"Really?" Jai asked.

"Yup," Roy smirked. "She compared you to Connor…which in this house means you're trying to do everything yourself."

"Oh…seriously?"

"Dude, that looks like it hurts like hell," Roy stated, pointing at Jai's stomach. "Lian does not mind. Let her take care of you."

"Okay already," Jai chuckled. "Damn you guys are nags."

"Be glad it's me and not her mother telling you this," Roy pointed out. Jai had to concede his point. They stayed up for the rest of the night, quietly talking.

Jai shook his head as Lian ripped in on him again later that morning. Roy had told her of the conversation he and Jai had, had earlier. "You're a damn traitor," Jai accused Roy, after yet another 'I told you so' from Lian.

"We can always have Jade weigh in on this," Roy teased. Lian barked a laugh as Jai paled.

"I'll shut up now." Lian and Jai headed home later that afternoon. Jai found that it was a lot easier for him to go down stairs rather than up them.

Jai took Roy's advice to heart and let Lian look after him, much to Lian's relief. As Mia had told him, once the bruising faded, he was able to do a lot more. Two weeks after his surgery he went in for his follow up. Doctor Ng was pleased at how well Jai was doing and that he'd kept a journal of everything he'd done and eaten, and how he'd reacted since the surgery. Jai asked if he could up his physical routine some and said what he had in mind. Doctor Ng had a smirk on his face as he barely tapped Jai's abdomen near one of the incisions and Jai nearly crumpled in pain. "Nope. Not until January," he said. Jai held up a hand in defeat and promised to do as instructed.

It was the weekend before Christmas and Jai was on monitor duty at the Tower. Iris wandered in and flopped into the chair next to him. "You're doing better, I see," she grinned.

"I'm still not liking how easy I have to take it," Jai admitted.

"Meh…you'll be back to normal in no time," Iris said with a dismissive wave. Jai shot her a dirty look.

"I know you're Dad's clone and I'm Mom's, but if your's goes out on you, I'll be so happy," he smirked.

"Thanks…jerk," Iris growled.

"Anytime," Jai chuckled. He got his wish just over a decade later, much to Iris' consternation.


	37. Survival of the Fittest

Survival of the Fittest

_A/N: The kids' kids demanded another chapter. Petra is Kon and Cassie's daughter. She's roughly the same age as Rana and the twins._

Though retired, Bruce Wayne still held a lot of sway in the Justice League and other superhero teams. He and Clark Kent had discussed the current band of Titans and Bruce had suggested a fortnight's survival challenge as a team bonding experience. Over half of the current team had only recently joined, including the newest member, Wonder Girl.

"You have a place in mind?" Clark asked.

"I do. It's an extinct volcanic island on the mid Atlantic ridge that indirectly benefitted from the Royal Navy's intervention on Ascension two centuries ago," Bruce stated. He pulled up a schematic on the island to show Clark.

"Okay, they should be able to survive there for two weeks?" Clark asked, looking at the schematic.

"If they play their cards right, they'll consider the experience a vacation," Bruce smirked.

"So you'll consider the exercise a success if we hear 'do we have to go?'" Clark chuckled.

"We'll evaluate what all they did of course, but yes. I hear a single 'do we have to go?' and I'll consider it successful."

Doctor Fate was called upon to teleport the Titans to the island and erect a magical barrier that would detect if any of them went beyond two miles from the island. The ten of them looked around at their surroundings. They had the place to themselves.

"Are they serious?" Teejay Drake-Wayne asked.

"Hey, if your grandpa and my grandpa suggest a remote island getaway, who are we to argue?" Corey Kent grinned, leaning against a palm tree.

"They want us to survive here for a fortnight," Teejay reminded his teammate.

"Judging by the looks of this place, it'll be like booking a couple of weeks at Club Med," Corey's cousin, Petra Kent mused. "This place looks just like Themyscira, minus the architecture."

"Survive? I've got a feeling that we'll be living it up," Alia Allen commented as she looked back to the tropical forest inland.

"Every survival book you've ever read is coming to the forefront isn't it?" Teejay asked. Alia nodded. "In that case, you're in charge."

Alia wasted no time with her new responsibilities. "Step one," she said, pointing to Zander Reyes. "Do you sense fresh water around here?"

"I do, but…" the Atlantean held his hand out towards the ocean and a ball of water began forming above the surface. "I can also separate fresh water out of sea water. There's your water source."

"Water's not an issue. Step two, Reno I want an aerial view of the place. What are we looking at?" Alia asked. Reno Reyes took off into the sky only to return a few minutes later.

"The place is about three miles square, Chica," he said, projecting a topographical map of their location onto the sand. "The peak's a dead volcano that's just over a thousand feet tall and the whole island is forested."

Alia clicked her tongue and studied the map. "Okay, Zander, you'll swim the periphery of the island. Assess fish stocks and alternatives if fish stocks aren't that abundant." The Atlantean nodded. "See if there are any naturally occurring lagoons too."

"You got it."

"The rest of us will break up into teams," Alia stated. "Reno, your scarab will be able to analyse any vegetation to see if it's edible?"

"Si."

"And if food is scarce, I can literally survive on water and sunshine, like a plant," Corey added.

""I'll keep that in mind if we need to resort to it, but it'll be a last ditch measure," Alia told him. "Corey, you, Tai, and Petra have the volcano. Rana and Teej have the next section of island to about here," Alia said indicating a point on the map. "Nina and Reno have this section and Moon and I'll take the end. You'll be looking for any naturally occurring shelter, like caves and stuff. Stuff to build a shelter from if it isn't naturally occurring. Fresh water sources inland, and food. If you aren't sure, bring a sample back and we'll have Reno test it," Alia instructed.

"Time frame?" Teejay asked.

"Two hours should do it," Alia replied. "Make notes of what you find and roughly where and we'll meet back here in two hours." They split up and began their searches.

"Uh, where do bamboo and bananas occur naturally together in nature?" Rana Wayne asked her cousin not too far into their search.

"Nowhere, but I have a sneaking suspicion I know roughly where on Earth we are," Teejay replied. Rana gave him a look. "I'm betting we're near Ascension Island, in the mid Atlantic."

"And you're basing that on…?"

"None of this stuff growing around here occurs together naturally," Teejay explained. "Back in the eighteen fifties, Joseph Hooker, a naval buddy of Charles Darwin, was tasked with turning Ascension into an inhabitable island. It was the first experiment in terra forming and it was a huge success."

"So you think that this stuff is from seeds that blew here?" Rana asked, picking a couple of bananas and handing one to Teejay.

"Or birds, drifted here, whatever," Teejay replied. "There's loads of food stuff around here."

Further down the island, Alia and Moon West were coming to the same conclusion. "Wasn't there an experiment or something in the eighteen hundreds in terra forming?" Moon asked as she ate a banana.

"Yepper," Alia replied. She told her cousin about Joseph Hooker and Ascension Island. "I'm willing to bet we're not that far from there."

"Well there's loads of carbs around here to fuel Rana, you, Tai, and me," Moon stated.

"I'm telling you, we get situated here, and we'll be coasting the rest of our stay here," Alia stated.

"Vacation?"

"Uh huh," Alia grinned.

"So food's not an issue and neither is stuff to build a shelter," Nina Reyes was telling her brother. "We just need to see if we can find fresh water or a cave."

"Si. I mean seriously where did they send us? The Swiss Family Robinson Island or something," Reno agreed. His scarab was pointing out various edible and useful plants as they walked. They'd found sugar cane and were sharing a stalk of it.

"Can Kahji point out exactly where we are?" Nina asked.

"About halfway between Africa and Brazil. Just north of the tropic of Capricorn," he replied. "Oh…that's good to know, gracias."

"Que?"

"Kahji says that extract from this thing is a good pain reliever," Reno replied, pointing to a gnarled tree.

Tai West had a bag she was putting samples in for Reno to test as she, Petra, and Corey investigated the extinct volcano. "Those look like blackberries or something," she said, noting a wild patch of berries growing near the top of the mountain.

"I think they are, but add some to your collection so Reno can tell us for sure," Corey replied.

"There're bees here," Petra stated. "Maybe there's a hive nearby?"

Corey lowered his head and closed his eyes as he concentrated on finding signs of a hive with his hearing. "There's two, near the base of the mountain," he said. "I think I can hear another one down in Alia and Moon's area too."

"Carbs for the speedsters," Tai noted.

"I heard water too, over that way," Corey said. He and the girls followed his hearing until they came upon a trickle of water running down the mountain side. Corey picked Tai up and lifted off into the air while Petra flew after them. "We'll follow it to see if it collects in any reasonable amount."

"If we get Zander to top this up, we'll have a place to bathe," Tai suggested, once they'd found a small pond where the water was collecting.

"Or for rinsing out our cloths," Petra added. She spotted something embedded in the rock wall and grinned. Smashing her fist into the rock, Petra collected several large pieces of obsidian and handed them over to Tai to put in her bag. "A little something I learned on Themyscira while I was doing my Amazon training," she said. "We'll have tools for cutting before the night's out."

"I think Rana knows how to do that too," Corey murmured as Petra selected a few pieces of basalt to knap the obsidian with. "Damn," he cursed. "I just found one of the bee hives in what would otherwise be the perfect cave to shelter in," he explained when Tai asked him what he was swearing about.

Tai glanced at her watch. "Let's see if we can find another cave then."

Zander had stopped assessing fish populations early in his search. Seafood was abundant all around the island. Instead he focused on finding ideal spots along the coast to set up camp and best access the resource.

Two hours had passed and the team met up at their original landing point. Almost all of what Tai had found was edible, Reno confirmed. "Remember where you found that though, because that's medicinal," he told her, pointing to a small green fruit that had been deemed not suitable to eat.

"We found two caves that would have been perfect, were it not for the massive bee colonies living in them," Corey reported.

"We found a colony too," Moon offered.

"Sugar, B vitamins galore, and nature's best antiseptic," Nina grinned.

"Okay, so we're building our own shelter then," Alia stated.

"I think I found the place to do that," Zander offered, pointing to a rough map he drew in the sand. "There's a small cove over here that is perfect for fishing and the forest is real thick just above it."

"Teleport us over there then," Teejay commanded. Zander did and they immediately began inspecting their surroundings. "We could totally build up a shelter between those trees," he said.

"That's what I was thinking," Alia agreed. She assigned the team with various tasks before taking off with Teejay to gather food.

Petra held up a piece of basalt and a piece of obsidian for Rana to see. "If I gave you these, would you know what to do with them?" she asked.

"Am I making projectile points or knives?" Rana asked, accepting the two stones.

"Knives. I'm picky about my spear points," Petra grinned. Rana glanced around and spied a flat rock on the ground. Petra raised her eyebrows in surprise as Rana quickly chipped a six inch blade from the obsidian. In two minutes, she had a perfectly balanced blade that she was using to slice part of the husk of a coconut off. "You're definitely in charge of the knife collection," Petra laughed, as Rana held up the slice of husk.

Some ways off, Reno paused as he surveyed the area. "Okay, close enough to the soon to be Casa Titans, far enough away from the water…ay Dios mio," Reno muttered, as he armoured up. "I know she only picked us to dig out the baño, because we can do it real quick," he murmured to his scarab. "What do you mean? Oh damn," Reno muttered a few minutes later. He'd dug out the latrine to an impressive eight feet deep in very little time. He floated up to the lip of the hole and startled at the blue and violet streaks that paused next to him.

"Wow," Tai mused.

"We're here for two weeks," Moon pointed out.

"Not two years," Tai added.

"Where's Corey?" Reno asked the twins.

"Follow us," Tai suggested as she and Moon zipped away. Reno took off into the air and soon found the twins with their brother.

"Shitty job?" Corey asked, yanking a few palm fronds from a tall coconut tree. Moon and Tai gathered the fronds and took off again.

"Ah ha, ha, ha," Reno scoffed, flipping off his friend. "So we're cutting them and they're running them back?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Yep," Corey replied, moving on to another tree. Reno held up his right forearm and his armour shifted into a menacing scythe. Corey paused to watch in awe as Reno made short work of hacking off palm fronds from the trees nearby. "Um, I'll join them in taking them back to camp then," he said, landing next to the pile of fronds Reno had harvested.

"Alia showed the twins how to weave them together, si?" Reno asked.

"Yeah," Corey replied, hoisting the fronds onto his shoulders.

"How about we collect all this stuff and they start weaving?"

"Good plan," Corey agreed. Reno went back to hacking off fronds.

At the shoreline, Nina wandered among the rocky outlets as Zander swam nearby. Zander popped out of the water to get her attention a moment later. "Right there," he said, causing Nina to pause.

"There's a fairly deep pool right here," Nina pointed out. Zander clambered onto the rocks and inspected the pool.

"We are definitely building our fish trap here," he agreed a moment later. Nina looked over at the pile of bamboo they'd brought with them as Zander figured out the exact placement of the trap.

"Okay…wow. Hold up a second," Alia told the twins when she and Teejay returned from foraging. The twins had woven together an impressive amount of fronds in just over an hour. "We haven't fig…" Alia paused and looked to where Moon was pointing. "Never mind," she added, seeing the frame that had already been put up between several trees. The frame was sitting on a solid floor several feet off the ground.

"Part of the Amazon training I got included roughing it in the woods," Petra explained.

"As well as making your own stone tools, I see," Alia commented, studying the obsidian tip that Petra was fixing to a sturdy bamboo spear. The Amazon had already made several spears. "Rana, stop playing with the knives," Alia teased. Rana let the blade she was balancing on her fingertip, fall into her hand. "Tai, go round up Reno and Corey. We'll start putting this all together." Tai took off to find the two boys. While the others were putting the shelter together, Tai and Moon built a privacy screen around the latrine Reno had dug out.

Nina and Zander returned a while later to find that most of the shelter had been put together. "I guess I don't have to go sleep out there then," Zander remarked, pointing towards the ocean.

"Damn, big enough?" Nina teased.

"We just need to sort out how we're storing water, and we're all set," Teejay stated.

"I have an idea for that," Petra volunteered. "Corey, come with me," she added, before taking off towards the mountain. Corey shrugged before following his cousin. They returned half an hour later with a large stone basin the two had made from volcanic rock. "Your highness, if you would be so kind?" Petra grinned at Zander.

"Since you asked so nicely," Zander teased. He stretched a hand out towards the water and separated a large ball of fresh water from the ocean and filled the stone basin with it.

"Well that solves that one," Alia murmured. The team gathered around Alia to admire their shelter. Alia did a mental checklist and saw that they had accomplished everything she'd tasked them to on the first day. "We just need to dig out a fire pit and we'll be all set."

"Someone else is doing that, I already dug out the shit hole," Reno stated, folding his arms across his chest. Petra laughed as she quickly dug out the fire pit. Teejay was shaking his head when Petra said that she was done.

"Fire pit and imu, impressive," Alia smirked. "Like your dad hasn't drilled into us how to host a proper luau," she added at Petra's applause.

"There are pork chops roaming around here by the way," Corey offered. "I heard them on the mountain."

"So did I," Petra added. "That's why I went with tree house when I was putting the framework together."

"There's feral pigs here?" Teejay asked. Corey and Petra nodded.

"Somehow I don't think you need to go into plant mode for our stay," Alia told Corey, ruffling his hair.

"Before anyone gets a case of 'eyes bigger than stomach'," Nina piped up. "Let's figure this out. The tide is going out and there's loads of foraging in the lagoon."

"Good point," Alia agreed. "It is getting late in the afternoon. Hunting and butchering will take you a while at least, right?" she asked Petra.

"Yup," Petra replied. "I'd rather start a hunt first thing in the morning."

"So? Seafood tonight, kalua pig tomorrow," Rana shrugged.

"What are we waiting for?" Moon asked.

"Let's go fishing," Tai added.

"Corey, you're on rock detail. Get enough to line the imu and the fire pit with," Teejay ordered. Corey gave a salute and flew off towards the mountain. "Reno, you're on firewood duty." Reno armoured up and flew off to the opposite end of the island from Corey. "Zander, Nina, lead the way."

"Um correct me if I'm wrong here," Moon piped up when they saw the fish trap. "But shouldn't that be submerged…at least a little?"

"At high tide it will be," Zander replied.

"Oh! Gotcha!" Moon exclaimed, smacking her head. "Fish swim in at high tide. The tide goes out and they're trapped…yeah I'll shut up now."

"Good idea," he teased. "Okay, Petra and anyone else who can spear fish. There're channels through the reef that you should be able to hunt from," Zander said, pointing to the exposed reef a small ways out. "Anyone who wants to dive for them, can find slipper lobsters hiding under most of these rock ledges. And there're oysters, urchins, clams, and all sorts in the tide pools."

"And when you're cleaning any of the fish, do it here so it can be bait later when the tide comes in," Nina added, indicating the pool that was part of the trap.

Alia and Teejay dived in after Nina and Zander to go looking for lobsters. Tai and Moon began searching the tide pools for the morsels Zander had indicated could be found in them, while Petra and Rana went out onto the reef. Corey and Reno finished their assigned chores and joined the twins in scouring the tide pools. It didn't take them long to catch enough for dinner. Zander had gone out a little further for food he was more familiar with and was the last to return to the fish trap.

"If I were smart, I'd be terrified," Teejay teased Rana. Her obsidian knives had proven to be very well made. The others laughed while Rana flipped her cousin off. They finished preparing their catches and returned to camp. "Who all can set fires without powers?" Teejay asked. He laughed when everyone's hands went up. "Bunch of pyros." He had Corey use his heat vision to get their fire going while the others prepared dinner.

"You're cooking them in coconuts?" Rana asked Tai, when she saw her cousin scraping clams and oysters into opened coconuts.

"Just because we're roughing it, doesn't mean we have to give up gourmet dining," Tai pointed out. "How does coconut milk based clam chowder grab ya?" Rana's eyes lit up at the idea.

"Too bad we couldn't find the fixings for salsa around here," Nina chuckled.

"Si," Reno moaned in pleasure at the thought. Zander cringed a little as he wrapped raw oysters in seaweed.

"No, but we've got Southeast Asian ingredients everywhere," Moon grinned.

Zander looked to his cousins and shook his head. "I'm sorry, I know it's half of my heritage, but I cannot combine the two cuisines. It just doesn't work for me."

"Ese, you just revoked your Mexican card," Reno declared, holding out his hand. "Hand that shit over." Nina laughed herself to a choking fit as Zander hung his head in shame and mimed handing over a card to Reno.

"You love Mexican food," Teejay pointed out to the Atlantean.

"By itself, yes I do. Mixed with seafood though," Zander trailed off. Teejay threw his hands up in surrender and looked over to the twins.

"What the hell are you two making?"

"Dinner," they replied. Rana smirked at Teejay as he rolled his eyes. Alia fell back into sand, she was laughing so hard. Moon stirred the contents of one of the coconuts and tested it.

"Try that," she told her twin, holding a clam out for Tai. Tai did and purred.

"Soup's on!" Tai declared. Everyone took a coconut and gingerly tested the contents before most of them leaned back and drained theirs in delight.

Zander didn't care for it and held his out for anyone who wanted it. "Sorry, but I just can't eat seafood that's been cooked," he apologised. He yanked his hand back as four hands reached out at speed and snatched his portion from him. Alia cackled as she came up with the prize and chugged it down.

"Bigger, older, and faster," she said to the other three speedsters. Rana and the twins shared a look.

"Younger, crazier, and outnumber you three to one," Moon retorted.

"The only hiccup with that fight is that'll happen so fast, most of us will miss it," Reno casually pointed out. Nina shoved her brother as she laughed along with the others.

The rest of dinner finished cooking and was served as the sun set. Zander had saved enough to prepare in his preferred way and they chatted into the night. Teejay decided that he wanted at least one person on watch during the night and volunteered for the first shift. Reno's scarab let him know that it was nearly ten in the evening when several of the team headed for the shelter for the night. Alia awoke several hours later and took over for Teejay on watch duty. He bid her goodnight and went into the shelter and lay down next to Rana before nodding off almost immediately. Alia tended the fire and could hear the occasional rustle in the woods, which she assumed were the pigs Corey and Petra mentioned the day before. The sky began to get light behind her and Alia deduced the compass points on a rough map of the island she'd drawn in the sand. Petra crept out of the shelter as dawn broke and went to tend to personal business before letting Alia know that she was going on her hunt.

"They stopped foraging in the woods back there about an hour ago," Alia said as Petra selected a couple of spears and a knife.

"Could you tell where they went?" Petra asked.

"Back towards the mountain."

"Okay. On the off chance I need a hand, Corey will hear me," Petra said before taking to the sky.

Alia shook her head and looked out to the water. Zander had already figured out the tidal pattern the day before, but Alia still made mental notes as she watched the water creep into the lagoon.

"Hola Chica," Nina greeted around a yawn.

"Morning," Alia returned the greeting. She watched over her shoulder as Nina wandered over to the latrine, before turning her attention back to the water.

"I noticed Petra was up already," Nina stated as she returned to the fire and flopped into the sand next to Alia.

"She left about fifteen minutes before you got up, to go hunting," Alia replied. Nina made a small noise of acknowledgment in her throat and watched the tide for a while.

"So I figure maybe chores assigned each day," Nina piped up after a while. "Get firewood, food, that kind of thing."

"Way ahead of you," Alia chuckled. She leaned back and showed Nina the notes she'd drawn in the sand overnight.

"So breakfast and lunch are 'you want it, you get it'," Nina murmured. "Dinner is the one you want us to collect for, for the day?"

"Considering the wide range of appetites around here," Alia shrugged. "Finding stuff to do during the day has been on my mind since they suggested this exercise," she added.

"Oh?"

"Rana, the twins, and I are the biggest threat to the food supply," Alia reminded her friend. "We'll have to cut back on the speed considerably."

"Knowing Granddad, he'll want to know if we made an effort to escape," Rana piped up behind the two elder Titans. Nina and Alia both startled as Rana wandered into their field of view. "Sorry," she apologised.

"I was thinking that too," Alia replied, once she recovered from her shock.

"What? Like building a raft or something?" Nina asked.

"I don't think so. Not since he had Fate erect that barrier that'll detect if we go out a certain distance," Rana shrugged. "A beacon definitely." Alia pointed to her notes in the sand. "How bored did you get last night?"

"Bored enough," Alia chuckled. Rana turned to look back at the shelter, so Nina and Alia weren't startled when Moon and Tai made an appearance a moment later.

"Breakfast is whatever," Tai muttered as she glanced at Alia's notes.

"Fruit salad," Moon suggested.

"Okay, screw them, they can figure it out themselves…let's go," Nina stated, standing up and brushing sand off.

Moon pulled one of the half burned sticks from the fire and suggested they go to the area she and Alia had checked out the day before. Nina gathered some sugar cane as they walked and started chewing on it. "I'm brushing my teeth," she chuckled.

"Actually, that's how people do it in lots of remote places," Alia pointed out. Rana hacked a large stalk off at the base and cut it into smaller portions, handing some of them out to the others.

"There's that hive," Moon grinned and headed for it with her smouldering stick.

"You get that, we'll get the rest," Alia said, plucking some large banana leaves. She gave Nina, Tai, and Rana a leaf each and suggested they use it as a basket.

"That should be enough, right?" Moon asked Alia a while later, holding up a large chunk of honey comb. Alia chuckled and said that it was more than enough.

They returned to camp and saw that none of the boys had yet to wake up. Using one of the banana leaves as a plate, they mixed the fruit together and drizzled it with honey. They realised that they'd harvested enough for everyone and chuckled.

"At least the boys can have some when they get up," Nina said.

"Hey, you saved the wax from that comb, right?" Corey asked a while later when the boys had woken up.

"Yeah," Moon replied.

"I have an idea," he grinned. "Surfboards!" he replied when asked what his idea was. Alia took a stick and crossed out 'finding things to do' from her list. Corey cocked his head to the side and listened for a moment. "Petra said to get the imu fire going. She'll be back in a while with dinner, once she's cleaned it."

"She caught one?" Teejay marvelled. Corey nodded.

"I heard the piggy squeal of 'oh shit' earlier. That's what woke me up," the Daxamite replied.

"Since they got breakfast," Reno suggested. "Why don't we take care of the dinner fire?"

"Where are you heading?" Zander asked.

"There's a beach at the end of the island where driftwood collects," Reno replied.

"I'll meet you over there," Zander replied and took off for the water. He paused at the fish trap and saw that it had several fish in it. He blocked the entrance with a large stone to keep them from escaping in the rising tide and dived into the water to swim to where Reno had mentioned. While the boys went to gather firewood, the girls went swimming. Petra returned with her catch shortly after the boys returned from their foraging trip.

"How are we going to keep the left overs?" Reno asked, when he saw the size of the pig Petra had caught.

"Wrap it in banana leaves and rebury it," she replied. "This is about two days' worth of meat here."

"They didn't fool around on that island, did they?" Teejay remarked. Petra smirked and shook her head no. "You go and have fun with the others. We've got this," he added, waving her off. Petra thanked him and took off to the water to join the others.

Once the pig was buried in the underground oven to cook, Teejay and Zander went to join the girls at the beach. Corey had Reno tag along with him towards the mountain to find a suitable tree to use for his idea. They returned to the beach near their campsite with a sizeable pine and went to work. Alia had an idea to use the upper portion of the tree to use for the beacon. While Corey and Reno went about making a couple of surfboards and a small boat from the bulk of the tree, the others built the beacon. It was early in the afternoon when the boys were done and everyone went to the water to try out the three boards and boat that they'd fashioned. Zander used his innate abilities to conjure up some waves and they took turns surfing or trying to for a few hours. Alia noticed the sun's position in the sky and said that dinner was probably ready. They returned to shore and set the boards and boat under the shelter. Everyone ate their fill as the sun set. As Petra had predicted, they had enough for dinner the following day. Wrapping the remainder in a thick layer of banana leaves, they reburied their meal in the imu. By the third day they had settled into a routine.

Doctor Fate materialised on the southern shore of the island with Bruce and Clark in tow. "They're surfing," Clark remarked, having found them with his Kryptonian vision.

"They're what?" Bruce asked, as the trio began walking along the beach towards the Titans.

"They're surfing," Clark chuckled.

Further along the shore Corey looked up and scanned down the beach until he spied the three heading towards them. "It's been two weeks already?" he moaned.

"What?"

"Already?"

"Aw man."

Clark laughed and informed Bruce and Fate that the team wasn't too happy to see them. "You're joking," Bruce replied.

"Nope. They're not happy to see us," Clark assured him. Bruce muttered under his breath as Fate and Clark laughed.

"How were you able to shave?" Bruce asked Teejay once the trio met up with the team.

"We'll show you, come on," Teejay sighed reluctantly. The Titans led them to their shelter and took turns explaining everything they'd done and how they'd done it. Bruce ran one of the obsidian knives along his arm and figured out how the boys had managed to shave.

"What is this indicating?" Fate asked, noticing the imu. They had marked it with a couple of stones and some sticks.

"Dinner…which we're not leaving until we've eaten it," Teejay replied. Clark's eyes grew wide when he saw what was cooking in the underground oven with his x-ray vision.

"There're pigs here?"

"Tasty ones too," Nina supplied.

Fate made a comment to Bruce suggesting that the team's despondency at the thought of having to leave was the equivalent of 'do we have to leave?' "Do we have to go?" several of the teenagers asked immediately. Clark and Fate laughed at the eyebrow Bruce raised.

"Fine. But we'll wait until after dinner," Bruce replied.

"Yo, we're taking those with us, man," Reno declared, pointing to the boards and boat.

"Uh yeah we are," Corey added.

"While I'm not quite the expert, I'd say they did very well," Fate told Bruce, as they waited with Clark for the team to finish filling in the latrine and dismantling the fish trap.

"Better than I expected," Bruce commented. Clark slammed a hand to his chest miming a heart attack.

"You're getting soft in your old age."

Fate teleported everyone to Titan's Tower in San Francisco. The team groaned at the sight of cold damp fog beyond the windows.

"Hola…holy shit," Milagro exclaimed when she saw what the team had insisted on bringing back with them from their adventure.

"We found means of entertaining ourselves," Zander said, as he went to his parents.

"Those are some sweet looking boards," Jai commented.

"They ride sweet too, Dad," Corey grinned.

"So how was it?" Chris asked. He wrapped his arms around Tai as she leaned into him for a hug.

"We did not want to leave," Teejay replied.

"They passed," Bruce added.

"You guys cruised, didn't you?" Lian asked. Moon nodded the head she had resting on her mother's shoulder.

"Like you have to ask," Alia teased.

"You guys went paddle boarding?" Sin asked, looking at the boards and boat.

"Paddle boarding, surfing, or just hanging out in the water…we had a ball," Petra told her.

"Your work?" Damian asked his daughter as he studied the obsidian blades and spear points.

"The knives are. The points are Petra's. She's picky about them," Rana teased.

"Who was hunting the pork chops?" Petra playfully retorted.

"Pork chops?" Iris asked. "You guys weren't hungry?"

"We didn't even need to cut back on the speed," Alia told her. "We did anyway, but it wasn't out of necessity."

"We were having too much fun," Nina chuckled.

"Did you even bother fishing?" Cerdian asked.

"Si Tio, Nina and Zander built a fish trap and Amazon girl over there had fun spear fishing," Reno replied.

"And there were lots of tide pools," Tai added.

"And all sorts of other stuff," Moon chimed in.

"The only thing we were missing, was coffee," Teejay pointed.

"Okay, now that's just criminal," Jai scoffed.

"I consider the bonding exercise a success," Fate offered.

"Bonding exercise?" Teejay snorted.

"We're all practically related," Alia pointed out.

"We already have that team thing down pat," Nina added.

"I should have sent you all to Antarctica," Bruce muttered. The team balked.

"No, we learned valuable skills and all that," Teejay playfully gulped.

Bruce smirked.


	38. Titans Go!

Titans Go!

_A/N: Well they are super heroes…and super heroes tend to get in fights and stuff._

"I'm sleeping for a week," Cerdian announced as the team returned from a battle in Las Vegas with a group of metas bent on turning the Nevada city into their own den of sin. The dry climate had drained him more than the others and he was looking forward to sleeping in his quarters below the waterline. Jai noticed something ahead in the control room and pulled up his personal system.

"Uh, no you're not," he said, reading the information streaming across his screen.

"What?" Cerdian growled, turning to face Jai and using his superior height in an effort to intimidate him.

"You're not going to bed anytime soon," Jai added, ignoring the Atlantean's efforts. "We've got some nutjobs intending to blow up the Golden Gate."

Cerdian let his head fall back as the others rushed to the control room. He quickly followed and forgot his exhaustion as Jai fiddled with the video feed on the main screen.

"Blowing the bridge up will accomplish what exactly?" Cerdian asked.

"The Golden Gate Bridge is a world icon. Immediately recognisable," Damian supplied. "Not to mention, a vital artery into the city from Marin county and points north."

"Try, the only artery into the city from the north," Sin corrected. Since returning from the monastery, she had moved in with Connor Hawke in San Francisco. And with his help, had quickly adapted to life to in the city. "BART doesn't run any routes up there. The Benicia can barely handle the traffic it gets into Oakland, let alone the overflow from the Golden Gate, if it were to go out of commission. And most of the ferry traffic comes from Oakland. And then there's the whole thing about being one of the biggest tourist attractions in the country to consider."

"You settled in quick," Iris remarked.

"Living with a monk who calls the city home, helps," Sin replied.

"How have they got it rigged?" Chris asked, squinting at the screen.

"The fact that it's night and the fog is moving in, doesn't help," Jai said. "I can't tell…hang on let me try something."

"Well that worked," Lian commented. Jai had switched to an infrared view.

"Do they have the explosives running down to the pylon bases too?" Milagro asked, studying the view on the screen.

"That I can't pull up," Jai muttered. "Judging from the look of the bombs under the deck, they might, but I can't get in any tighter."

Cerdian waved his hand casually through the air and darkened his features into his civilian appearance to make it harder to be seen. "I'll go look." He ran outside and dived into the bay, quickly making his way to the bridge. Remaining just below the surface, he scouted the four bases of the bridge and returned to the Tower to report his findings. "The two towers in the middle are rigged."

"Can you describe the explosives?" Damian asked. Cerdian did one better and used his magic to conjure an image into thin air of what he'd seen. "Your basic semtex mix," Damian murmured. "Can you disarm them?"

"I wouldn't know where to begin," Cerdian admitted.

Damian folded his arms across his chest and considered his team. "Surge, adapt Firewall for water survival so he can disarm the explosives at the tower bases and under the deck. Once that's done, join us on the road deck. Lantern, take Arsenal and Sin to the south end of the bridge and drop them off. You two will be in charge of working your way to the centre of the bridge and the terrorists," he instructed. "Lantern, you will then work with Kid Flash to get as many civilians to safety as possible. Superboy and I will take the north end of the bridge. Titans, go!"

Outside, Green Lantern grabbed Arsenal and Sin with her ring and flew towards the south end of the bridge. Superboy took a hold of Robin and flew towards the north end, as Kid Flash raced along on the water with them. On the shore of Titan's Island, Surge quickly used his powers to transform Firewall into a water breather and the pair dived into the bay. "I'll never not be amazed by this," Firewall commented as Surge used his hydrokenisis to propel them towards the southern tower of the bridge.

"I'm partial to it," Surge chuckled as they arrived at their target. The explosives were several metres below water, but Firewall had no trouble cutting the wires and rendering them inert.

"Next," he said and they began swimming to the other tower. "Ho shit," he exclaimed when something hit the water in front of them. "Oh they are not throwing people from the bridge now?" he asked when they saw that it was a police officer who'd been thrown from above.

"He was dead before he hit the water," Surge stated. "Bullet hole," he added at Firewall's questioning look.

"Let's get this shit disarmed and get up there," Firewall said. Surge used his powers to move the officer's body to the artificial island of the first tower before swimming after his teammate.

Green Lantern dropped Arsenal and Sin off in the trees of Golden Gate Park and they made their way through the shadows towards the toll plaza. "So that's how they were able to pull this off," Sin commented, as they took in the scene before them.

"Que?"

"Caltrans workers aren't armed with machine guns," Sin pointed out. There were three armed men at the toll plaza dressed as road workers. One of them on the side of the road nearest to the park, had the toll workers cornered and under guard at the base of the support cable. A second one was pacing in front of the tolls and the third was manning the pedestrian walk on the far side of the road.

"I have a plan" Arsenal smirked. Once she told it to the other two, they nodded. Sin slipped through the trees to cross the brightly lit entry ramp out of sight of the armed guards, before making her way towards the cable base where the toll workers were being corralled. "You take out the one in the middle and Bozo on the far side is mine," she told Green Lantern as she pulled her handgun out of the holster.

"Knee shots only," Green Lantern reminded Arsenal as she lined up the second guard in the sights of a ring created gun.

"Si Mami," Arsenal scoffed as she took aim at the far guard. She had the first guard in her field of view and was able to see when Sin took him out. "Now!" Two shots were fired and the two guards went down. Arsenal holstered her handgun as Green Lantern flew out to quickly disarm all three and take them into custody.

"Head for the shadows of the trees and then follow the ramp. Police are waiting just over at the Presidio," Sin instructed the scared toll workers. She covered them until they all vanished into the trees before meeting up with Green Lantern and Arsenal. "Let the fun begin," she grinned.

"I see armed eses walking between the lines of cars further up the bridge," Green Lantern said. "You two get ahead of me and I'll get these folks out."

"You get the northbound lanes, I'll take the southbound," Sin told Arsenal. The two nodded and raced onto the bridge, using the cars as cover.

Green Lantern followed and looked up the cables to the tops of the towers. "Nobody's stupid at least," she murmured. She erected a bulletproof shield in front of a line of cars and had the people behind it get out as quietly as possible and head back to the toll plaza. Arsenal and Sin had made their way past the first tower by the time Green Lantern was ready to move onto the next block of cars.

At the northern end of the bridge, Superboy had a hard time keeping sight of Kid Flash, she was moving so fast, as she pulled stray civilians to safety just beyond the bridge. He heard the sound of metal sliding against leather and turned to see Robin unsheathing his sword. Robin nodded and Superboy charged down the bridge. Robin raced after him, using cars as cover as the two of them took out the occasional gunman.

Firewall shook his head to clear it as Surge removed the water breathing spell. The computer hacker counted to three with his fingers before the two leapt up to the road deck to take on the enemy. A barrage of gunfire stopped the two cold. Firewall gaped between the dead woman as she crumpled to the ground and the static charge building around Surge. "You're not worth saving," Surge vowed in Atlantean. The computer on Firewall's wrist short circuited from the stray bioelectricity as Surge poured it on at the gunman. "He'll live," the sea prince muttered in disgust as the gunman fell unconscious.

"You're not worth saving?" Firewall asked. "Aquaman's used it enough that I know what you said."

"Sorry," Surge replied. "That and 'ten thousand years won't save your soul', are two of my favourite Atlantean curses."

"What the hell kind of dimension did Atlan pull you into?" Firewall gaped.

"An interesting one."

"Looks like we got the attention of his buddies," Firewall murmured, noticing that armed men were heading towards them from both sides of the bridge.

"They're not the only ones," Surge purred, spying his teammates coming in behind the terrorists. Firewall stood with his back to Surge and the two braced for attacks from the armed men until their teammates joined the fray. They separated and Firewall slipped escrima sticks from his back and went on the attack. Surge grabbed two terrorists at a time and shunted their blood backwards, rendering them unconscious.

"How does grabbing their shirtfronts knock them out?" Sin asked Arsenal, as the two took on a quartet of armed men.

"He's probably making their blood go backwards," Arsenal replied.

"Cool trick," Sin grinned, sending an elbow into the throat of one of her attackers.

"Efficient indeed, and painful to be on the wrong end of," Robin added as he joined them, blocking a knife attack with his sword pommel. "Superboy, Lantern…round them up. Kid Flash secure their weapons," he barked as the fight was winding down.

Arsenal picked up one of the machine guns from the growing pile Kid Flash had going and studied it. "I think they might be from that armoury theft in Kentucky last month," Kid Flash offered, as she dumped the last of the secured weapons to the ground.

"Yeah, U.S. Army," Arsenal shrugged. "Stamped right on the butts here."

Robin grabbed one of the terrorists by the collar and pulled him close. "Talk," he ordered.

"This pit of filth is what's wrong in this country," the terrorist spat. "Their liberal views are poisoning the rest of America and ruining what makes it great."

Arsenal rolled her eyes so hard that she regretted it. "That hurt," she muttered as she blinked them a few times. Sin bit her lip to keep from laughing.

"And here I was thinking that civil liberties, human rights, and freedom are what this country prided itself on," Surge remarked.

"The definitions of those ideals are vastly debated," Robin retorted, shoving his captive back with the rest of his comrades. "Knee shots only?" he commented, looking at Arsenal when he saw the two wounded guards from the toll plaza.

"How many did you stab?" she shot back. Robin let a tiny smirk grace the corner of his lips as he wiped the blood clean from his blade.

"You might want to put that away, here comes the cops," Kid Flash told him. He sheathed his sword just as the police and tactical units swarmed the middle of the bridge where the Titans had secured the terrorists. "They're all yours," she added sweetly to the head officer coming over to them.

"The bomb squad will find four semtex packages," Firewall stated. "They're disarmed and harmless. Two are just under the waterline of the towers and the other two are under the road deck."

"Thanks," the officer replied.

"One of your comrades can also be found on the south tower barrier island," Surge added. "He was shot execution style and thrown to the water." The officer nodded and gave his thanks again.

"We were beginning to wonder if you guys would show up," the officer admitted.

"Our apologies," Robin stated. "We were tied up earlier this evening with another mission."

"I know what you mean. You can't be everywhere at once," the officer sighed. "Thanks guys. Head on home, you've earned it from the sounds of it." He flinched back at the gust of wind Kid Flash kicked up as she tore off towards the end of the bridge and then across the water to Titan's Tower. Superboy lifted off into the air after her, followed by Green Lantern who had several of the team with her on a ring created platform. Surge bowed his head to the officer and then dove into the water far below.

"How pissed off were you, dude?" Jai asked back at the Tower as he studied the ruined remains of his wrist computer. Jai curled his finger at Damian and pointed to the ruined tech on the table. "I mean, I know you were tired, but damn!"

"I'm sorry?" Cerdian asked. He saw Damian's eyebrows raise in surprise.

"Your arm wasn't scorched?" Damian asked Jai, looking at his bare forearm.

"The glove's insulated enough," Jai chuckled. "You melted my baby," he added for Cerdian.

"My apologies. Is there any particular shipwreck that you want the payment salvaged from?" Cerdian snorted.

Jai and Damian shared a look. "Legend has it that the Atocha had an impressive emerald haul," Damian replied jokingly. Cerdian rolled his eyes and walked off.

"That one bunch has salvage rights on the Atocha, D," Jai pointed out.

"And the chances that an Atlantean hadn't stumbled onto it first, are what?" Damian smirked.

"Dad found it years before they did, ages ago," Cerdian replied, returning to the room.

He tossed a large green crystal to Damian and bid the pair goodnight before retreating to his quarters. Jai stared at the massive rough emerald as Damian gauged the weight. "Easily several pounds," Damian murmured, handing the emerald to Jai.

"This thing's fucking massive," Jai gaped. His hand could only wrap halfway around the crystal. "You're dirt poor next to him," he smirked. Damian nodded in agreement as they both stared at the emerald.

"Too tired to go electronics shopping?" Damian suggested after a moment.

"There's no such thing as too tired to go electronics shopping," Jai replied, rising from his chair.


	39. Painted

Painted

_A/N: Damian learns just how good with kids Irey can be. These are just some of the requests I got yesterday at my union local's Christmas party, where I had offered to paint small children. Irey is a lot more tolerant of kids than I am, but I was able to fake it yesterday. ;)_

Bruce Wayne let a small smirk grace his lips as the elevator door opened a few floors below his office. He knew the four of them got their work done and did it well. However, every time he dropped in on them, they were all in one office or the other and not working. He commented on it as he walked into Damian's office. "Do you have secret employees off the books that do everything for you? I always seem to drop in when you're all playing around."

"That's because you have the place rigged with cameras and pick your moments," Iris teased. Damian and Tam nearly fell off the desk in their amusement. Tim dropped his head into his folded arms and howled in laughter.

"That's neither here nor there," Bruce countered.

"What can we do for you, Father?" Damian asked once his laughter subsided.

"Tam and Tim are off the hook on this one because they'll be in Shanghai with Lucias," Bruce stated. "So I am hoping you two can help me out," he added to Damian and Iris. "The company Children's Christmas party…I need volunteers." Damian frowned but Iris' face lit up in delight.

"Doesn't the board handle that?" Tam asked.

"You mean the board that was recently voted out and replaced?" Bruce replied. "And yes they do. However as the current board are about to be out of work in a few short weeks, they decided to throw a small tantrum and come up with reasons why they couldn't this year."

"And they wonder why they got voted out," Tim scoffed.

"What do you need?" Iris asked.

"Face painters, Santa's helpers, servers…" Iris ignored the rest as Bruce continued to list them off on his fingers.

"I'll face paint!" she grinned, shooting her hand into the air.

"You will?" Bruce grinned.

"She is quite the talented artist," Damian admitted. "Going by the intricate doodles that consist of the bulk of her notes taken during meetings." Tam and Tim both moved back as Iris turned to give Damian a look.

Iris reached a finger out to Damian's cheek and traced a swirling pattern on it. "I'll paint a big steaming pile of you know what…right there." Damian chuckled as he took her hand in his and kissed her knuckles. The look he was getting told him that he would be making up to her quite a bit later.

"Buy whatever you need and hand me the receipts," Bruce piped up. "I'll let Janice know that you'll be face painting," he added before making his escape.

"The only notes you need me to take are phone numbers and addresses," Iris pointed out. "You memorise the rest of the crap people tell you at those things."

"I was merely teasing," Damian replied. Tim and Tam knew where the conversation was going and slipped out unnoticed.

"You might want to pay attention to how Jai teases…or Chris, or Cerdian, or anyone else we know for that matter," Iris smirked. She waited and her patience was rewarded. The wounded puppy look of someone who did wrong. "Ha! You fall for that all the time! C'mon, let's go get this stuff now," she said, dragging Damian out of the office.

The craft store Iris had in mind was next to her favourite deli. She quickly scribbled out a list and handed it to Damian. His punishment he figured. Go and tread into unfamiliar territory while Iris enjoyed an afternoon snack. Unbeknownst to him, the list of small tortures Iris had in store for him were just beginning. Damian seriously considered her advice on learning how to properly tease later that night. Iris had run him into the ground with a load of small but annoying chores.

The day of the party had come and Bruce had rented out one of the ballrooms at the Gotham Towers hotel. Iris and Damian showed up early to help with any set up that needed to be done. Bruce pointed Iris towards the area set aside for face painting and led Damian towards stage area, where he'd volunteered to hand Santa gifts to give to the children. From his vantage point, Damian realised that he could easily help out and watch Iris at the same time. Iris looked around and rubbed her hands together. Taking supplies from the bags she and Damian had brought, she began setting up. A cheery greeting interrupted her and she looked up to see one of the ladies from the secretary pool. Iris knew that Viv Chun was also a talented artist as well as being one of the more sought after members of the secretary pool.

"Oh my God, you're adorable, Viv!" she laughed.

"Thanking you. You're quite lovely yourself," Viv replied, and picked at the edges of her Santa skirt to take a curtsy. "I was thinking I was going to be the only one here," Viv added with a laugh as she help Iris set up.

"Nah. I scribble in my notepads all the time. Ask Damian," Iris smirked. The two of them spotted a list of suggested ideas for face painting and shared a look. Viv picked it up and crumpled it into a ball before tossing it into a small bin. Oops," Iris remarked teasingly.

"Oh my God, you've got glitter!" Viv exclaimed when Iris took out various pots of glitter and lined them up. Viv put brushes into each pot. "Oh! I got these too!" Viv offered, setting a bag of candy under the table where the two could reach in and get some to give to each kid. Iris thanked her and took the receipt from Viv, telling her that she'd be reimbursed later.

Bruce took a microphone and thanked the volunteers for their offer to help and announced that the ballroom doors were about to be opened to let in the party guests. Iris and Viv watched as the employees began to stream in with their children and families. Each child was given a Santa hat and stocking, as well as a number for their turn in the toy queue. Shortly afterwards parents began drifting towards the table the two young women were manning and the face painting began. Iris shared a friendly look with the elder gentleman she knew was the head of the delivery department and union representative for the employees in that division before focusing solely on his young grandson.

"Hi, what's your name?" Iris asked.

"Gavin," came the soft shy reply.

"Hi Gavin, I'm Irey," she introduced herself. "What would you like me to paint you up as?" she asked.

"Police officer," Gavin asked, more enthusiastically.

"You got it, Buddy," Iris replied. Iris took a couple of brushes and the two colours she had in mind, before sitting cross legged on the floor. "You're a little guy, so I'll get down here," she added. "Okay Honey, hold still for a minute," she said, taking up a brush and dipping it into the pot of yellow. She drew a sheriff's star on his cheek while she chatted with Gavin. "You want be a police officer one day?" she asked. Gavin stepped back and said that he did, before moving close to her again and holding still. Iris smirked and got a fine tipped brush and dabbed it in some black. Carefully she wrote the union local number Gavin's grandfather was a member of in the middle of the star. "Police badges are shiny, so give me one more minute here," Iris told Gavin, grabbing the brush in the gold glitter. She gently dabbed the glitter onto Gavin's star and pronounced that she was done. "Let's show Grandpa Frank," she grinned, turning Gavin around to show his grandfather.

Frank saw his local number on the badge and laughed in delight. "That's perfect," he stated, taking out his mobile to take a picture of Gavin with Iris.

"Told you. I'm from a long line of union workers. I've got your back," Iris winked. She and Gavin gave a thumbs up for the picture, before she let Gavin and Frank wander off into the party.

A quick glance to the side told Iris that she and Viv would be busy for quite some time. "Hi Honey, what's your name?" she asked the little girl who was next.

"Melina," she replied.

"Melina is a pretty name," Iris grinned. "I'm Irey." Melina said that Irey sounded pretty too. "Thank you. What can I paint for you today?" she asked. Melina asked for a candy cane and Iris grinned. Taking up her brushes and colours, she went to work.

From his vantage point, Damian saw Iris forgo her chair to sit on the floor, as Melina was very small like Gavin had been. He let a smile grace his lips briefly as Iris proceeded to charm the socks off of Melina while she painted bundles of candy canes tied up with a bow on Melina's cheeks. Damian and the other volunteers had finished sorting the toys and now they had a half hour wait before Santa arrived. Damian was content to watch Iris as she laughed and painted. He watched as Melina looked at the photo her mother had taken and then kissed Iris on the cheek in thanks. Damian chuckled to himself when he saw the wicked look in Iris' eye at the next little girl's request.

"I have just the thing for that," Iris declared. She had already found a favourite brush she liked for detailed work and dabbed it in white. Starting at the little girl's temple, she dabbled little white spots down her cheek, each one bigger than the one before, before ending in a large snowflake. Iris quickly wiped the brush and then dabbed it into a pale blue to add depth to the snowflakes. "Okay, close your eyes so this doesn't get in there," she instructed. Iris liberally applied opalescent white glitter to the fall of snowflakes before declaring that she was done.

The next girl replied that her name was Chloe when Iris asked. "Hi Chloe, I'm Irey. What would you like to be today?" she asked.

"A mermaid!" Chloe replied enthusiastically. Iris bit the inside of her lip as a mental image of Cerdian with a fish tail popped into her mind.

Closing one eye and putting a finger to her lips, Iris leaned in close to Chloe. "I'll tell you a little secret. I actually know a real mermaid," Iris whispered. Chloe's eyes grew wide in surprise. "You can't tell anyone though, okay," Iris winked. Chloe promised to keep Iris' secret. Glancing next to her, she saw that she still had out the white and pale blue from the fall of snowflakes she'd just painted. Iris chuckled softly to herself as she added a darker blue and black to her collection and began painting.

"Does your mermaid friend have a name?" Chloe whispered.

"Well he's a boy and his real name is impossible to pronounce by us," Iris lied. "But he has me call him Ian." She went on to give an altered description of Cerdian as she painted Chloe's face with flowing swirls and scales. "Ian's scales are real shiny so…" she paused and dabbed patches of the two blue shades on her hand. She tested a couple colours of glitter on her hand before deciding on the opalescent one. She leaned back once she finished and grinned. "Wow, you look just like him!" she proclaimed and took out her mobile to get a picture.

On the stage with Santa, Damian and Bruce were waiting for the next child to visit with Santa. "Why does that little girl make me think of Cerdian?" Damian murmured. Bruce looked up from where he was picking out toys to get ready to hand out and saw Chloe pose for a picture with Iris.

"She does," Bruce admitted. He looked at the child Viv was painting to look like a dalmatian and chuckled. "I see they thought very little of the suggested ideas."

"They tossed the list immediately after Viv arrived," Damian replied. "But they have been able to keep the line moving and are only taking a few minutes with each one," he added.

"Hi. I'm Irey, what's your name?" she asked a little boy who was next.

"Michael."

"Hi Michael, what do you want to be painted up like?" Iris grinned. Michael turned to look at his mother and asked if she could pull up a photo of his cat.

"That's my kitty, Sidney," he told Iris, as she looked at the photo on the mobile.

"I have a kitty that looks just like that! Her name's Nefertiti, but I call her Nefer-Kitty," Iris chuckled. She reached for her mobile and pulled up a picture of Damian's cat. "See?"

"We got Sidney from the shelter," Michael explained as Iris mixed some pale blue into a dollop of black.

"That's where we got Nefer-Kitty from," Iris replied as she painted a small portrait of Sidney on Michael's cheek. She added a few paw prints in black and dabbed them with glitter.

"Oh that's perfect!" Michael's mother gushed when she saw the finished product. Michael thanked Iris and left.

The next little girl had seen Chloe's mermaid design and asked for one similar to it. Iris nodded and got out the colours she associated with Cerdian's father and went to work. Iris told her about her secret mermaid friend, Ian as she painted, and added that one of Ian's parents was mostly red and black with purple eyes. Iris highlighted the red with glitter and took a picture with her mobile to send to Cerdian later. The last of the children finished visiting with Santa and Damian made his escape to see if Iris and Viv wanted anything to eat. They both paused long enough to tell Damian what they wanted before returning to their tasks at hand. Damian returned with plates of finger food for each woman and drinks. Taking a seat behind Iris, he settled in as she continued to amuse and paint faces. The next little boy in line reminded Damian of himself at a much younger age.

"David," the boy replied quietly when Iris asked for his name.

"And what would you like David?" Iris grinned. David wanted a Christmas tree design. Iris started at the spot between David's eyes and painted three triangular shapes that ended just below David's bottom lip. She roughed out a tree trunk in brown on his chin and then added green glitter to the tree. She painted a star at the top and added small dots of colour for the ornaments before declaring that she was finished. David thanked her and left with his father. "That kid reminded me of you," Iris teased, leaning back to face Damian for a moment.

"Me too," Damian admitted. "Granted at that age, I considered face painting a triviality to be avoided at all costs," he chuckled.

Iris barked a laugh before turning to her next child. If David reminded them of a young Damian, the little girl standing before Iris was a dead ringer for a younger Iris. She had red hair and a dazzling personality as she said that her name was Rose. "I'm named for a flower, too!" Iris exclaimed. Rose loved that and asked if Iris would paint roses and irises in Christmas colours on her cheeks. Iris happily obliged and went to work. Iris had a bit too much glitter on the brush and some of it fell onto Rose's jacket.

"Leave it!" Rose asked as Iris went to brush it off.

"Okay," Iris replied. "It brushes right off," she mouthed to Rose's mother when Rose turned to show her the design Iris had done.

"Can I tell you a secret?" Rose asked. Iris nodded and leaned in close so Rose could whisper in her ear. "I don't really like roses. Carnations are my favourite flowers."

Iris howled in laughter. "That's okay, I don't like irises but I love orchids!"

Another hour passed before the party began to wind down. Iris and Viv still had a small line of eager children and they managed to paint every one of them to order in the remaining few minutes available. A volunteer closed the ballroom door and Iris sagged in her chair. "Hi! Fancy seeing you here!" she teased, looking over at Viv.

"I know!" Viv laughed. "So much for getting to hang out and chat between kids."

"For real," Iris groaned. She noticed the plates and drinks Damian had brought for them and dived in. "I can't believe I forgot all about this. Thanks D," Iris said between bites. Viv added her thanks as she too polished off her plate.

"You're both very welcome," Damian replied. "Considering that you've been working non-stop since they opened the doors." Iris and Viv finished eating and got up to clean up the table when Damian dismissed them with a polite wave of his hand, saying that he'd take care of it.

"Oh! Give me your wallet," Iris told Damian as Viv was gathering her things to leave. Damian handed it over and Iris checked the amount on Viv's candy receipt. "Here," she told Viv, handing over fifty dollars. "For the candy and a hearty tip!"

"Thank you," Viv replied, tucking the money away in her purse. "You didn't need to do that though," she added.

Iris jerked her thumb in Damian's direction. "Considering what I'm getting for a tip later," she winked. Damian turned scarlet as Iris and Viv howled in laughter. "See you on Monday," Iris said as she and Viv hugged.

"Right-o," Viv replied and waved her goodbyes.

Iris looked at Damian and smirked. "Get your brain out the gutter, Batboy. You're taking me out to diner," she teased.

"You'll never let me live down that doodling comment, will you?" Damian muttered as he gathered the brushes together.

"Hell no!" Iris replied. She spied a stray brush and dabbed it in some red paint before Damian could register her movements.

"Don't you dare," Damian growled, but it was too late. He had a perfect circle on the tip of his nose and red cheeks. He saw his reflection and rolled his eyes as Iris quickly snapped a photo of him. "Finished?"

"Um…yeah," Iris grinned, putting away the last of the face painting supplies. "Uhg I need to wash my hands," she muttered a moment later, noticing how colourful they were. While she disappeared into the ladies room to do that, Damian made a break for the men's room to wash off the face paint Iris had applied to him moments earlier. "Aw, you made a cute Rudolf!" Iris playfully whined when she saw that Damian had scrubbed up.

"I don't do cute," Damian said, holding his arm out for her.

"Whatever," she scoffed. She bent down to reach for her purse and cringed at the sudden twinge of pain in her back. "Crack me?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest and turning her back to him. Damian encircled her in his arms and lifted her from the floor. He winced at the cracking noises her spine made and held her for a moment so she wouldn't sag to the floor in relief. "Thank you," she moaned.

"Any place you have in mind for dinner?" he asked, as they left the hotel ballroom.

"That looks good," she answered, pointing to the hotel restaurant.

Later that evening they had curled up on the sofa to watch television. Iris snuggled into Damian and was soon fast asleep with Nefertiti draped across her stomach. Damian looked down at her and smiled softly. He'd never before considered the idea of children, but watching Iris earlier at the party had brought the idea to mind. He only hoped that any children they might eventually have were nothing like him. Or her for that matter as he recalled her in her days as Impulse.

_A/N pt 2: I had several requests for mermaids yesterday and immediately thought of a fishy version of a certain teammate of Damian and Irey's. All the little girls who asked for mermaid were told of my secret friend Cerdian. lol_


	40. Diplomatic Manoeuveres

Diplomatic Manoeuvres

_A/N: I wanted some Cerdian being a prince and doing his princely duties with Milagro tagging along as his guest. So while Damian and Irey are helping to save the Wayne Enterprises Christmas party in the last chapter, a certain prince and ring wielding warrior are rubbing elbows with heads of state in Geneva along with a couple of original Titans who are old pros at the diplomacy game._

Milagro Reyes looked like any other visiting tourist to the Swiss city though she had flown in under her own power. Milagro headed for the airport to meet up with Donna Troy, who would be flying in in a more conventional manner and waited at the international terminal for the Amazon princess. "Hi Sweetie," Donna greeted, as she came out of the gate and briskly made her way over to Milagro.

"Hola, how was your flight?" Milagro asked, as the two women headed outside to hail a taxi.

Donna rolled her eyes. "I should have borrowed your idea and flown here myself," Donna groaned. Milagro laughed.

"Everything was so last minute and there was no way I would be able to get a plane ticket to Europe," Milagro admitted. A taxi stopped for them and the driver got out to take their luggage and stow it in the trunk.

"For future reference," Donna smiled. "Just ask Damian. He can put you on one of his family's private jets."

"Didn't you fly in via Air France?" Milagro teased.

Donna shrugged. "Part of my diplomatic privilege. I am a known representative for Themyscira, so I can get a seat on virtually any flight."

"Oh that's cool," Milagro said.

"I got stuck next to an Austrian representative flying home for the holidays…it wasn't fun," Donna told her, shaking her head. "No thank the Gods, he's swapping planes here and heading on for Vienna," she added when Milagro asked if the diplomat would be at the conference they were attending with Garth and Cerdian.

Milagro laughed. "Hey, speaking of…how are they getting here?"

"Via the Atlantean Embassy in Copenhagen. They get in later tonight."

Their taxi pulled up to the hotel the conference was being held at and the driver held the door for them. Donna dug into her purse for the fare as the driver took their bags from the back of the taxi. Both women thanked the driver and he returned it with a gracious bow of his head before leaving. "Just follow me, Sweetie," Donna said, as concierge had their bags picked up and taken inside. Milagro spotted immediately what Donna was implying once they stepped through the doors. Security was incredibly tight and highly visible with the many visiting dignitaries that would soon be gracing the hotel. "Donna Troy and my guest, Milagro Reyes," Donna told the clerk at the registration desk. Milagro got out her passport at Donna's request and handed it over to the clerk. The clerk quickly processed them into the system and went to fetch their room keys. She returned with the keys and identification badges on lanyards and handed them over. "Thank you," Donna said and turned to leave. Milagro slipped her badge over her head as did Donna.

"Gracias," Milagro added and followed Donna.

"Have that ID with you at all times," Donna told Milagro as they waited for the elevator. "Security as you can see, is incredibly tight and they frown on people forgetting their credentials."

"So wear it all the time…got it."

"You don't need to wear it all the time, but definitely have it on you all the time," Donna said. The elevator arrived and they rode it to the top floors reserved for conference guests. Milagro slid her key into the slot on the door and let her jaw drop when the door opened. "We're sharing with the boys," Donna teased as she walked past Milagro into the plush suite.

"Ay Dios mio," Milagro finally stammered after walking in and closing the door behind her. "They're kidding right?"

"Nope. Welcome to the life of the diplomatically powerful," Donna replied. "The bedrooms are upstairs…" Milagro looked around and spied an elegant staircase off to the side. "…should be arriving at six. Mila?"

"Sorry…um, stunned. What was that?" Milagro apologised. Donna chuckled and repeated what she had said. "The boys get here at around six…got it." She and Donna headed up to the second floor to find two bedrooms on each side of a short hall. Donna opened a door on either side of the hall to check out the views.

"City view or mountains?" she asked.

"City," Milagro replied, pointing to the rooms on the left. "Oh, we're sharing the bathroom?" she asked when she saw Donna head through the shared bathroom to her own room.

"I promised your Mom that I'd keep an eye on you and make sure Cerdian's hands remained where they belong," Donna teased. Milagro shot her a dirty look and she laughed.

"Hey, I noticed that you don't tip anyone," Milagro called out as she and Donna unpacked.

"Good thing you brought that up," Donna said. "People are paid a very good living wage here in Europe and tipping is generally frowned upon."

"Oh, gracias! I didn't know that."

"Oh, another one that gets you funny looks, and is kind of weird," Donna added. "Leaving food on the plate after only eating a few bites. Portion sizes here aren't like what you find in the States."

"I'm Mexican, Chica. The same rule applies with us," Milagro stated. They finished unpacking in their rooms.

"You didn't bring a dress with you for the ball, right?" Donna asked as she came back into Milagro's room.

"You said not to," Milagro defended. She grinned when Donna flashed a credit card for her to see. "Whose dime are we shopping on?"

"Courtesy of the King of the Idyllists," Donna replied. "As recompense, and offered with his humblest apologies, for inviting us at the absolute last minute."

"No way," Milagro gaped when Donna handed her the credit card. She saw her name emblazoned on the front.

"Knock yourself out, Kiddo," Donna grinned. "You can't possibly bankrupt Garth, but you are welcome to try. I like making him squirm when he pulls this stunt," she added with a wink.

"I know this is horribly rude to ask, but just how rich are they?" Milagro asked, as the pair of them headed back downstairs to leave.

"Let me narrow this down for you and you can expand on it from there," Donna replied. "How many treasure galleons do you think sank on their way back to Spain from Mexico in the colonial days?"

"Ohhh."

"Gold and silver are as common to Atlanteans as aluminium and steel are to you and me," Donna offered.

"You're not exactly hurting for cash, Sister," Milagro retorted. Donna playfully swatted her as they stepped into the elevator.

"This is actually one of my favourite shopping districts in Europe," Donna said as they rounded the corner to the main shopping area in Geneva.

Milagro looked up and down the high street and narrowed her eyes. "Let's do this," she purred.

"There she is," Donna laughed. "I was beginning to wonder who this timid kid was that met me at the airport."

"Don't knock it. My humble upbringing took a bit of a shock to the system, but I'm good now," Milagro stated. "Oh damn, that was no fun," she muttered a moment later.

"Hmm?" Donna asked, as she got her bearings.

"I found it," Milagro replied, nodding to a shop across the street.

Donna immediately spotted what Milagro had seen. "That screams you too. Come on," Donna replied. They walked to the shop and went inside. The sales lady welcomed them warmly and asked how she could help them. "That beautiful black and green gown is perfect for my young friend here," Donna replied sweetly.

The sales lady glanced between Milagro and the gown before agreeing that it did indeed suit her. "You have a very good eye, my dear," she offered. "Come this way, I have another one that you can try on," she added and had Milagro and Donna follow her towards the back of the shop. While Milagro changed into the gown, the sales lady, who introduced herself as Giselle, offered Donna a cup of hot chocolate. Donna thanked her and sank into a plush chair to wait for Milagro.

"Wow," Donna exclaimed when Milagro stepped out of the changing room. Giselle spoke quietly with a junior sales girl on the side.

"What size shoe do you wear, my dear?" she asked.

"An American size six," Milagro replied. Giselle nodded to her junior, who slipped out the door, before turning her focus solely on Milagro.

"Normally I wouldn't recommend gold with this dress, but with your colouring it is perfect," Giselle said, indicating the gold neck ring Milagro had on. Giselle pulled hairpins from her jacket pocket and pinned Milagro's hair back. "Ah, here you go," she added when the sales girl quickly returned. "Bertrand a few doors down had the perfect shoes for this dress," she added. Milagro slipped the shoes on and accepted a clutch from Giselle.

"Gracias," she thanked before turning to Donna. "What do you think?" she asked.

"We're adding some bling to that, but it's perfect," Donna replied. She added that she had brought some Amazonian jewellery with her.

"We'll take it," Milagro told Giselle. The sales girl handed Giselle a slip of paper and left to help another customer who had just entered. Donna told Milagro she'd handle the rest as Milagro went to change back into her original clothes.

"We can ring up the shoes and clutch here," Giselle said, indicating the slip of paper.

"Thank you," Donna replied. "Can you also have them delivered to L'Hotel International, care of Donna Troy, please?"

"Your purchase will be there this evening," Giselle promised. Milagro came out and she and Donna thanked Giselle for her wonderful service and left.

"I thought you said I was welcome to try and bankrupt Cerdian's Papi?" Milagro teased.

"You can pay for mine while I'm getting changed," Donna replied.

"Deal."

A block down from the first shop, Donna spied her ideal gown in a shop window and they went inside. Like Giselle in the first shop, the head sales lady went above and beyond to compliment the entire ensemble. As promised, Milagro took care of the bill while Donna changed back into her regular clothes and also asked for the purchase to be delivered care of Donna to their hotel. Donna smirked when she saw the cool, calm, collected look on Milagro's face as they left. "Let it out," she said.

"That dress cost more than every piece of clothing I have ever owned," Milagro whispered so only Donna could hear.

Donna couldn't resist. "Your's cost more," she stated. "The perks of hanging out with royalty," she added.

"You suck," Milagro snorted. Donna laughed and suggested they head back to the hotel.

"The boys will be here a little bit. We'll have dinner waiting when they show up," she said. At the hotel, Donna paused to inform the front desk of the packages arriving later that evening for her. "Just have them sent up, please?" In their suite, Milagro changed out of her ankle boots and put on a pair of slippers. "Are you picky about what you eat?" Donna asked, as she went over the expansive room service menu.

"Food is food," Milagro replied. "I'll eat anything."

"Good girl," Donna grinned. She frowned a moment later. "Do you know if Cerdian's picky?"

"He doesn't like cooked seafood, but that's about it," Milagro replied. "I haven't seen him turn down a meal yet."

She sank into a sofa and turned on the television while Donna called and ordered dinner. Dinner arrived about twenty minutes later and Donna took care of it. She returned to the living room with a platter of appetisers to share with Milagro. They'd only eaten a few when another knock sounded and Milagro offered to answer it. It was a bellhop with their shopping purchases from earlier and two travel bags. "The boys are here," Milagro called out after the bellhop left. "So is our loot from earlier!"

"They'll be another ten minutes checking in at least," Donna told her. Milagro flopped onto the sofa again as Donna switched channels until she found the BBC international news. They heard the door nearly twenty minutes later, as Cerdian opened it and held it for Garth.

"My humblest apologies again," Garth offered to Donna, taking her hand and placing a chaste kiss on it. "But you can blame Orin. He decided to send us in his place at the last second." Donna nodded in understanding and hugged her old friend.

"You ordered dinner already?" Cerdian asked, hugging Milagro. "Thank you."

"We figured you two would be starving by now," Donna said as she went over to hug Cerdian.

"I'm so glad you could join us," Garth offered warmly to Milagro.

"Gracias for the invitation and experience," Milagro replied, hugging Cerdian's father.

"Did you two make plans for the evening?" Garth asked.

"No, why?" Donna replied.

"Do you mind terribly if we stay in and relax?" he asked, removing his suit jacket and tie. He visibly sagged in relief when Donna and Milagro said that they liked the idea.

"Thank you," Cerdian sighed as he removed his jacket and tie and slipped off his shoes. "There was a formal reception in Copenhagen that dragged on forever."

"We almost missed our flight here," Garth added, following Donna and Milagro into the dining room. They made plates and took them back out into the living room. Donna dashed back to the dining room to fetch wine and glasses.

"Corkscrew," she muttered smacking her forehead.

"Denada," Milagro teased, making one with her ring. Garth chuckled and thanked her as he opened the wine.

"So I have Milagro listed as my guest for the conference," Donna said a while later as she and Garth went over the schedule.

"Wait, you're working this thing too?" Milagro asked.

"Diana pulled an Orin," Donna smirked. "She found out that Garth had asked me to be his guest and told me to take over for her instead."

"Don't sweat it," Cerdian assured her. "You and I just get to sit in and make Dad and Donna look good."

"And only for some of the meetings," Garth added. "The truth though, is that all the real negotiations occur during the social events."

"And you already know Themysciran and Atlantean interests just by being a Green Lantern," Donna added. "You'll be fine."

"How come all the important stuff happens during the social events?" Milagro asked.

"Because they're all liquored up and tend to be more generous," Garth chuckled.

"It looks like we have most of tomorrow free," Cerdian told Milagro. "There's the opening ceremony and breakfast, followed by the meeting where they lay out the intended goals of the conference. After that, we're free."

"It says there's a dinner too," Milagro pointed out, looking at the schedule.

"Which we always skip," Garth informed her.

"The reps from the OPEC countries always take that one over and have a political pissing contest," Donna added.

"Cool, we get to check out the town," Milagro grinned.

"I have an idea," Garth suggested. "How about finding a place for dinner and making reservations for the four of us." Cerdian gave a salute off his brow in acknowledgment.

"Some place quiet that looks like it's full of locals," Donna added. "The fancier places will be taken over eventually by conference attendees."

Milagro got up to clear their plates when they were finished eating and took them out to the dining room at Donna's request. Garth added that he'd take care of having the room service removed. Cerdian joined her and suggested that they visit the hotel pool. "Word has it, that its salt water and being royalty I can make sure we have it to ourselves," he winked. Milagro snapped her fingers and pointed to him.

"Good thing I remembered my suit," she grinned. "We're going swimming," she called out to Donna and Garth, as she and Cerdian headed upstairs to change. Milagro finished changing first and went across the hall to find her teammate.

"Come in," he told her when she knocked.

"How come you have two badge thingies?" she asked, when she saw him setting one on the dresser. He was wearing one as well.

"That's what took us so long to register," he replied, indicating the one on the dresser. "We had to make one for 'Ian',"

"Oh," Milagro grinned. "That way you can come in and out without getting hassled by security when you're disguised."

"Yep. I kind of tend to stick out in my natural appearance," Cerdian chuckled. "Ready?"

Donna and Garth waved them off as they left and returned to discussing the conference. "How is she handling all of this?" Garth asked.

"Surprisingly well," Donna chuckled. "The trappings are a bit of a shock to her system but she hides it well." Garth raised a curious eyebrow. "If you didn't know her, you'd think she was born into this kind of life."

"You gave her the card?" he asked, setting the schedules aside and leaning back.

"Her bill will be smaller than mine," Donna chuckled, leaning back against him with her wine glass.

"Orin's paying the bills, so you both can knock yourselves out," Garth chuckled. "Why do we always get stuck with these things?" he asked with a sigh.

"Because your king and my princess would rather play super hero," Donna scoffed. "The joys of being sidekicks, Aqualad," she teased.

"Here's to being stuck as sidekicks, Wonder Girl," Garth toasted. The pair of them burst out laughing as they clinked glasses.

Milagro and Cerdian returned a few hours later to find Garth and Donna talking and laughing in the sitting room about their days as Teen Titans. Cerdian rolled his eyes and chuckled as he and Milagro headed upstairs to their rooms. The following morning, Milagro woke up when she heard Donna start the shower. She had taken one the night before so she got out of bed and changed out of her pyjamas. Checking her suit to make sure it was free of lint and wrinkles, Milagro slipped the skirt on and a camisole in green. She grabbed her pumps and suit jacket and headed downstairs to find Garth reading the morning paper over a cup of coffee.

"Oh muchas gracias," she grinned when she saw the breakfast spread. Garth chuckled.

"Despite knowing what we do on the side, folks tend to forget that we're heroes and that heroes need to eat."

"A lot," Milagro agreed.

Cerdian joined them a few minutes later chuckling at his mobile. "I guess Irey and Damian had that party yesterday," he said.

"Wasn't Irey face painting for that?" Milagro asked.

"Yes she was," he replied. "She got a couple of requests for mermaid and had a field day…at our expense." He showed Milagro and Garth the pictures Iris had sent him.

"That looks nothing like Letifos," Garth chuckled.

"Not bad interpretations though," Milagro admitted. "I doubt shark queen would go over well to a bunch of little girls from the surface," she added.

"I might be a bit biased, but the surface idea of what a mermaid is, has never sit well with me," Garth stated.

"I think it's hilarious," Cerdian added, taking a seat and serving himself some breakfast.

"What's hilarious?" Donna asked as she joined them. Cerdian showed her the photos while Garth filled her in on the conversation.

Milagro finished eating and dashed back upstairs to finish getting ready. She returned ten minutes later and slipped on her shoes and jacket and waited with Cerdian as Garth and Donna finished gathering everything they would need for the day. "Okay, got your credentials?" Donna asked. Everyone made sure they had theirs. Cerdian checked to make sure he had the right one, before accepting his father's briefcase. Milagro accepted Donna's and they left for the breakfast ceremony.

"One of the perks Mila, of being from exotic countries of near mythical standing, is that we always get lumped together," Garth told Milagro as they were escorted to their table. The breakfast ceremony was short and Milagro easily caught onto all the cues for when the audience was expected to respond. Afterwards, Cerdian led her to the gallery area where they would watch as Donna and Garth headed for the main floor.

"This is where they lay out what all is up for discussion at the conference," Cerdian told her. "The rest of today's meeting will be where they hash out exactly what they want to focus on."

"That's why we get to skip it?" she asked. Cerdian nodded.

"Tomorrow though, we'll be expected to attend all the events and act as assistants to Dad and Donna."

"Sit there and look cute. Take a couple of notes and let them do the talking?"

"Yep."

"I'm glad you invited me," she said. "I've always wondered what they do at these things besides stand around for photo ops."

Cerdian watched as Milagro paid attention to every detail and make mental notes of everything that went on during the meeting. He already knew what his father planned on focusing on for the conference and was pleased to hear when the audience agreed with loud applause. The meeting ended and Cerdian and Milagro headed upstairs to change and head out into the streets of Geneva. Cerdian switched credentials and changed his appearance into his civilian identity. Milagro giggled when they stepped outside and it was gently snowing. "Good thing you changed your looks, you'd vanish in this," she teased, as she tucked her credentials away in her inner coat pocket.

"No kidding," Cerdian agreed, holding a hand out to catch the snow. "You want to look for a place for dinner?" he asked.

"Oh yeah," she replied, remembering Garth and Donna's request from the night before. She snapped her fingers suddenly. "Yesterday when Donna and I were shopping, I spotted something that looked good."

"Let's go check it out," Cerdian suggested. Milagro led him to the restaurant she'd spied the day before and they went in to see if there was a reservation open. They made one under Milagro's name and headed back out into the streets.

They did some window shopping and Milagro spied something in one that she had to check out. "Christmas is in a couple of weeks and I want to see if that's Austrian crystal," she told Cerdian.

"We're in Switzerland," he teased as they went inside.

"Austria's right next door," she retorted, smacking him playfully. It was a pair of wine glasses and a matching carafe that had caught her attention. "Mom's always wanted Austrian crystal," she said as they waited for a sales clerk to become available. One did and Milagro asked about the set she was admiring. "My Mother's always wanted something like this," she grinned, as they went to pay for it. The clerk said that for a small fee they could also wrap it and ship it anywhere in the world for her. Milagro gave the clerk her address and thanked him profusely for his service. They did a little more shopping before heading back to the hotel.

"You brought an extra suitcase?" Cerdian remarked as she dug it out of her main one.

"Duh," she scoffed. "I knew I was going to do some shopping here." Cerdian laughed before saying that he'd order lunch up for them. "Hey! Order that stroganoff stuff. That looked good," Milagro called out.

Lunch had just arrived and Cerdian and Milagro were curled up on the sofa eating when Donna and Garth came into the suite. "There's extra," Cerdian pointed out.

"Thank you," Garth replied, running his hand over his son's head.

"This is going to be fun," Donna groaned as she flopped down across from the teenagers.

"What is?" Cerdian asked.

"About the only point discussed this morning was the potential financial impact of global warming," Garth replied, handing a plate to Donna and taking a seat next to her.

"Why? Folks are arguing that there isn't one?" Milagro asked.

"No, they agree that there is," Donna stated. "They just think it won't be as bad as scientists and economists are predicting."

"A three foot rise in sea level would wipe out the entire global economy," Garth stated. "Half of the world's population lives along the coasts. Relocating them alone would exhaust resources…but nooo. The geniuses here are thinking it won't be that bad."

An idea Milagro had had that morning came to mind. "You said the OPEC countries take over that dinner you guys are skipping, right?"

"Yep."

"How big a sway do they have at these things?"

"They have a huge sway on global policy," Donna replied.

"They're what keeps the world powers functioning. Why?" Garth added.

"A three foot rise in sea level would wipe out about ninety percent of their production," Milagro stated. Pointing to Garth she continued. "Think about it. Where are all the refineries located?"

"On the coasts," Garth replied.

"Wipe out their production and OPEC is broke. They just see dollar signs, right?" Milagro asked. "Cleaning that up will cost more than all the countries combined can afford." Garth and Donna shared a smirk as Milagro continued. "Hit them from the environmental stand point of what it will do to Atlantis and the oceans of course…but," she grinned. "Some of those shorelines will go so far back that they become yours. The Arabian peninsula alone would be totally submerged just about."

"If you ever get bored with being a Green Lantern, you should consider a career in politics," Garth grinned.

"How come we've never thought of taking that approach in the past?" Cerdian asked.

"You guys aren't from oil country," Milagro pointed out. "I'm from Texas."

"The oil rig of the U.S.," Donna added.

"We have to get back down there in a little bit but your job," Garth stated, pointing to Milagro and Cerdian. "Put together a power-point overlapping the projected shorelines associated with a three foot rise in sea level and all the oil production in the world."

"See if you can work out the environmental damage all that oil spilling into the ocean would cause too," Donna added. "Did you guys make reservations for dinner tonight?" Milagro nodded.

"Put together as much as you can and we'll talk about it then," Garth said. He rose from his seat and offered his hand to Donna.

"We'll hopefully only be another couple of hours. We'll text you if we're running late."

Milagro and Cerdian waved them goodbye and shared a look. "You take on the impact and I tackle where it all is?" she offered.

"Deal."

"What time is it in Cali?" she asked. "Jai could throw together a power-point in like five minutes."

"We're ten hours ahead of them right now," Cerdian replied. "Text him to contact us when he wakes up," he added when Milagro realised that it was still the middle of the night in California.

They set up their laptops on the dining table and Milagro texted Jai before getting to work. Her mobile went off about five minutes later with a response from Jai. Cerdian looked him up on Skype, and soon the three were in deep discussion about their project. "You two work on the impact," Milagro suggested. "Mine's just looking at maps."

"Thanks in part to Halliburton being a bunch cheap asses," Jai commented. "BP was meticulous in their record keeping after the Deep Horizons disaster. They wanted to be as open and transparent as possible. That way they could separate themselves from Halliburton and say that they had made a poor choice in outside contractors."

"You think we can extrapolate from that?" Cerdian asked.

"I don't see why not?" Jai said.

"Well here's your maps. Google had them readily available," Milagro said and shared the information with the other two.

"All their production would be underwater," Jai commented.

"About eighty…ninety percent of it would," Milagro replied.

"And quite a good chunk of it becomes Atlantean territory," Cerdian smirked. "Much to the chagrin of Spain of all places, we are arguably the richest country on the planet. This technically makes us that much wealthier while the surface world goes flat broke."

"Is there any way your Dad can point that out without sounding like he's giving them the finger?" Jai asked.

"Possibly. If he points out that it's wealth we have no use for," Cerdian shrugged.

"Atlantis is pure resource wealth, right?" Milagro asked. Cerdian nodded. "Point it out that the so called vital resources would all be in Atlantis if climate change keeps happening the way it's going."

"How about you script it, and we'll finish putting this together," Jai suggested. Milagro opened her word processor and began typing. After a while she had finished as much as she could with the data available and began looking online at other major resources the world economy depended on.

"Oh hold up guys," she grinned. "We're changing this up a bit." She showed them the maps she had found indicating major mining sites for aluminium, copper, tin, and rare earth metals. "How about we start with these and then end with oil?"

"Sea level rise due to climate change would severely impact these industries and here's why," Cerdian said. "But that pales to the screeching halt that will happen when you add the world's oil production."

"I like it," Jai offered. "Will your dad have the time to present it though?"

"If you just highlight the other ones and focus on the oil, he would," Milagro chimed in. She reworked her draft and then showed it to Jai and Cerdian. Jai mouthed it quietly to himself and worked on the timing of the presentation.

"I think I have the slide show side done," he said. "I can translate it into Korean for you too."

"I already have the Spanish written up," Milagro grinned.

"Is this the final draft?" Cerdian asked. Milagro suggested he look it over and see if any changes needed to be made. He made a small one in the lead up to the oil impact and copied it onto a flash drive. Milagro and Jai made the same change in their versions and Cerdian copied those as well. Grabbing his credentials, he said he would be right back.

"Okay, incoming," Jai told Milagro. "All you have to do with it is have someone record the script."

"Since Garth's presenting it, I'll have Cerdian do that," Milagro said.

"So how is it?" Jai asked.

"Fun actually," Milagro grinned. "I've always wondered what they did at these things."

"If they accomplish anything?"

"Si. I think they might when they see this though," she replied, waggling her eyebrows.

"Well cool, glad I could help," Jai said around a yawn. "Anyhoo, I'm gonna head back to bed. Tell me how it goes."

"We will, gracias," Milagro replied. Jai switched off and Milagro powered down her laptop. "Where did you go?" she asked Cerdian half an hour later when he returned.

"I went to the office downstairs to run off a bunch of copies of this and had the front desk make sure that all the delegates got them by the end of the day," he replied. "We're done then."

"Not quite," Milagro grinned. "I need you to use those dulcet tones of yours and record the script to the power-point."

"Let me do it up in my room," he suggested. "There's a bit of an echo in here." Milagro waved him off and went to get some coffee. She went to the sitting room and found the BBC channel that Donna had the day before, to watch the news. Cerdian returned after twenty minutes with his laptop to show Milagro the final product.

"Looks like we missed a performance earlier when we were out shopping," she commented, pointing to the television. "Comrade Levkov of Russia made a huge drama production when he arrived this morning."

"Politicians like Levkov are showmen. They have to be, it's how they get their points across," Cerdian stated. "They don't have the longevity of a monarch or a monarch supported state backing them up." Cerdian took up the remote and pushed mute. "Tell me what you think," he said, starting the power-point. Milagro listened with her eyes closed. She'd memorised the visual portion while Cerdian had been downstairs. When it concluded, she opened them and said it was good. "Here's hoping," Cerdian agreed and shut down his laptop.

"Okay, you two either whipped that up really fast or you're slacking off on your homework," Donna teased a few hours later when she and Garth returned for the day.

"Jai helped," Cerdian smirked and showed them the power-point.

"That's perfect," Garth commented when it finished. "All we need to do now is get the script…"

"Already done," Cerdian stated. "And they have the research notes as well."

"Dinner will be an enjoyable work free evening on the town in Geneva…in an hour and a half," Milagro added, checking her watch.

"You two are good," Donna purred.

"I'm going to go and rehydrate," Garth said after congratulating the two younger Titans.

"I'm going to go change," Donna chuckled and floated towards the stairs. Milagro and Cerdian high fived each other and went back to watching the news. They were ready to leave in an hour. Milagro saw that Cerdian had the wrong credential on as he darkened his appearance. He cursed and went to get the right one and they left.

"I love the snow," Garth purred as they stepped outside.

"This must be a shock to you," Donna commented to Milagro.

"It snows in El Paso…not all the time, but it does on occasion," she replied. "We're up in the mountains."

"Oh. I figured that far south that it doesn't snow."

They got to the restaurant and were told to pick a table. It was still early and business hadn't picked up yet for the evening. Garth and Cerdian held out Donna and Milagro's chairs for them and they got seated. A waitress brought a bottle of house wine to their table and asked if they had any questions or were ready to order. The item of the day was a roast and they all picked that. Garth poured out the wine and they chatted about what they'd been up to during the day.

"Finding Papi something is going to be a pain though," Milagro huffed. She'd told the two elder Titans about all the presents she'd found for her family.

"What about something like those Hilly Farm gift boxes?" Donna asked. "You know? Filled with sausages and cheeses and stuff? You could get him something like that."

"Only make it up out of the local stuff," Milagro grinned. "He'd love that!"

"The shops don't close until later," Donna stated. "Why don't we stop off on the way back and do that?"

"Gracias!" Milagro grinned. "I was going nuts trying to think of what to get him."

"When in doubt, get a man food," Garth chuckled.

"Dad's not kidding. We're easy that way," Cerdian added. "Oh thank you," he said a little louder as their waitress returned with bread and bowls of vegetable soup.

"We're staying on two extra days so I can show Cerdian around, you're both welcome to join us," Garth invited.

"I have to get back to New York," Donna apologised.

"If my Mom's cool with it, I'll stay," Milagro added.

"We'd be happy to have you," Garth smiled. Their dinner arrived and the waitress took away their soup bowls. She came back with a second bottle of wine and a carafe of water at Garth's request.

"Orin secured speaking time before bowing out, didn't he?" Cerdian asked his father.

"Yep. I'll be the second one up," Garth replied. "Ten minutes of your power-point, followed by thirty five minutes of yelling and screaming," he chuckled.

They stayed for another hour before deciding that they were done. Garth and Cerdian held their female companions chairs for them again and Garth excused himself to settle the bill. "Wow it's even busier now than when we were out earlier," Cerdian commented as they stepped outside.

"Europeans and Latin Americans alike don't really hit the streets until later," Milagro explained.

"I smell them, where are they?" Donna commented, as she sniffed the air. "There."

"Que?"

"It's Christmas," Donna grinned. "You can't have Christmas without roasted chestnuts!" Garth and Cerdian shared a shrug while Milagro's eyes lit up. "One for the four of us to share, please," she asked the street vendor. The elderly lady scooped a large amount into a bag and handed it over to Donna. Donna paid and they all thanked the woman before walking on.

"All those years of hearing that one carol and I've never had these," Garth mused.

"These are good," Cerdian grinned. "Carol?"

"Christmas songs," Garth replied. "There's one about roasted chestnuts." Milagro and Donna broke into song and sang it for the two Atlanteans. Garth chuckled and pointed to the two who were deliberately singing off key. Milagro then went into a Mexican specific version of the song where it was chili peppers roasting and tamales boiling on the stove. The other three howled in laughter.

"Hey, there's a cheese shop," Milagro pointed out. Donna looked around and realised that she'd been to it before.

"If it's the same owners as the last time I was here, this place is great!" Much to Donna's delight it was still owned by the same family and they remembered her. Milagro saw a beautiful handmade basket for sale and decided to build her gift basket in it. They all sampled the various cheese on offer and Milagro selected a few for her basket. The owner even provided paper and cellophane for Milagro to wrap up the finished basket. "Okay since this was the right cheese place…that's where you want to hit next," Donna stated, indicating a deli across the street.

"Ay Dios mio," Milagro exclaimed when they entered the deli. "I've just died and gone to heaven on Papi's behalf."

"How long do you think it'll take Berto to clean that out?" Cerdian asked after they left. Milagro had filled her basket and couldn't wait to get it back to the hotel to wrap up.

"This'll all be gone by New Year's," Milagro scoffed. "Gracias," she added when Cerdian offered to carry it for her. "I can see Papi now. Sitting in his chair, tequila bottle on the table and him leaning back with a full belly."

"I hate to be the mood killer, but we better head back," Garth said after a while. "It's getting late."

They got back to the hotel and Milagro took the basket to the dining table and expertly wrapped it. Taking the finished product upstairs, she stowed it with the rest of the gifts she'd purchased and then changed to take a shower. She was the first one up the following morning and was already ready for the day when Garth came down for breakfast. "We have two hours yet," he pointed out, pouring coffee for the pair of them.

"I know, but I'm nervous," she admitted, twisting her hair up into a neat chignon.

"I'll be the one doing all the talking," he pointed out.

"Si, but…" he held up a finger to silence her.

"Your research is sound. I checked it last night. And the points you two made are very valid," he assured her. "I will consider it successful when the Saudis start pitching a screaming fit…and they will."

"You're sure everything will be okay?" Milagro asked. She reached up to nervously fiddle with her neck ring.

"It'll be fine," Garth assured her. "I know this is all new to you and you've been thrown into the deep end, but you're doing just fine. Take it from an expert," he winked. He spied the gold neck ring Cerdian had given her for her birthday when she won her gold medal at the Olympics in Tokyo. "Treat this like you did your final round in Tokyo. It's us against the world and we're out to win by getting our point heard loud and clear." He watched as she closed her eyes and tried to put the two events into the same context. He smiled softly when her eyes opened and she visibly relaxed.

"Let's do this," Milagro stated, taking a seat at the table. "By the way, I called my Mom last night. She said I can stay with you guys after the conference."

"Great, you'll love it," Garth told her.

At the top of the stairs Donna had held Cerdian back as they listened in to the conversation below. "Play your cards right, Kid, and you just might land yourself a queen as powerful and influential as Mera," she teased.

"Ha, ha, you're funny," Cerdian retorted. They went down to join the others at breakfast.

Over breakfast, Garth went over the speech he'd written to accompany the power-point. "One of Orin's weaknesses is also his greatest strength…at least in this battle field," he commented.

"His arrogance?" Donna offered.

"Mmhmm. Tone it down a little and remind them that a lot of this will become Orin's if they continue on the path they're on," Garth murmured.

"It'll be like kicking them in the cajones?" Garth chuckled as he agreed with Milagro's description.

"We have just over twenty minutes to get down there and get situated," Cerdian pointed out, glancing at the clock.

"Cerdian?" Garth asked, holding out his royal medallion. Cerdian placed it around his father's neck as Milagro grabbed Donna and Garth's briefcases. She handed Garth's to Cerdian once he was done and they left. "They did their research as well," Garth commented in the main meeting room once they got situated. "We're getting the dirtiest looks," he purred.

"Too bad they don't serve popcorn at these shindigs," Donna remarked. Milagro and Cerdian both playfully smacked her out of sight of the other delegates as they fought to contain their laughter. "I'm just saying."

"And here comes the opening act," Garth murmured so that only his three companions could hear him. "President Levkov, a pleasure as always," Garth greeted.

"Your Majesty," Levkov replied in kind. "I was entertained by the notes your young prince had sent to my secretary."

"I might remind you that most of Siberia is barely above sea level," Garth offered, barely containing his smirk. "The projected sea level rise used in our presentation would mean that your timber and coal reserves in that area would become the property of my king." Levkov nearly bit his tongue off to keep from yelling at Garth. "Timber doesn't fare well under salt water I'm afraid. It would be a terrible waste."

"And I thought your King Orin was a menace," Levkov retorted, barely keeping his rage in check.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Garth smiled.

"Your Majesty, your royal highnesses," Levkov said bowing his head to them as he turned to leave.

"Y'know," Milagro piped up. "Red Star just got him to reopen Russian airspace to us."

"Back to taking the long way around again, thanks Dad," Cerdian added.

"Artemis is going to be pissed that she missed that," Donna chimed in. "She loves watching him get deflated."

"I don't think anyone can top her performance from back in February," Garth mused.

"I'll be right back," Milagro said, excusing herself. Garth and Cerdian's faces scrunched up in silent laughter a moment later.

"What?" Donna asked.

"She's outside howling in laughter," Garth barely managed to reply.

Milagro returned a few minutes later after regaining her composure. "If it's like that for the rest of this, I'm doomed," she chuckled.

"It sounds cliché, but think of your absolute worst day when the urge to bust a gut happens," Donna suggested.

Milagro looked over to Levkov and in her mind, she saw glowing debris streaking across the early morning sky over Texas. She'd seen the break-up of Columbia when she was a small child and the images still haunted her. "That works," she murmured a moment later.

"Don't worry, we get it out of our systems later once we've returned to our room," Garth assured.

"You'll be in agony from laughing in no time," Donna added, patting her hand under the table.

The French head of the European Union took the podium and began the morning's discussion by introducing the head of the World Bank. Milagro made some mental calculations in her head as the banker rattled off figures and projected losses that could happen in the next century if the trend of global warming continued. Milagro thought that the head of the World Bank was being far too conservative, but then remembered that she and Cerdian had used the most conservative estimates for their power-point presentation. The picture the bank head was painting was rosy compared to the one Garth was about to lay out.

Polite applause sounded after the bank head finished and again as Garth was introduced. He slipped his flash drive into the computer made available for the delegates and introduced the presentation as a conservative demonstration of what sea level rise would do to the world's resources. Cerdian discretely took out his mobile and set it to record the goings on. Balancing the mobile on his thigh, he leaned forward and watched. Milagro had a clear line of sight towards the Middle Eastern contingent, many of whom were OPEC countries. She could tell all hell was about to break loose, judging by their enraged faces and was surprised that they at least waited until the brief presentation was finished.

"This is preposterous!" Saudi Arabia's president bellowed. "That is pure speculation!"

"Speculation based on sound scientific evidence," Garth replied calmly. The Saudi president started in again and Garth held up his hand with his forefinger and thumb barely an inch apart. "The Gulf Region of the United States, their major oil producing region has already lost millions of acres of land from this much sea level rise. And that's just in the last decade."

"This is a land grab by your King Orin," Venezuela's vice president claimed.

"No. This is what continued destruction of the environment will do," Garth countered. "The estimates I presented are if only a quarter of the Antarctic ice sheet melts. Several of you in this room will lose whole countries. Many more of you will lose vast portions of your nations. And as for your ridiculous suggestion Mr Vice President, I assure you. Oil is a resource my people do not want and have absolutely no need for."

"Then if you have no need for it, why aren't you sharing your energy technology?" someone else called out.

"Ask the heads of OPEC what happens when we do attempt to share freely of our energy technology," Garth challenged. "Surface dwellers can survive, albeit poorly, by breathing polluted air. If the majority of the world's oil reserves is spilled and lost to the ocean…my people cannot breathe it and live." Garth turned his attention back to the vice president. "So even if this was a land grab as you so hilariously claim, no one in my kingdom will be around to enjoy it."

Milagro glanced at Cerdian out of the corner of her eye and saw that he wasn't trying to hide his amusement as Garth easily shot down every argument put to him. Milagro's teeth were getting sore from clenching them together to keep from cheering aloud. She also noticed that Donna was smiling with immense pride for her old friend. Glancing around, she did notice that not everyone thought the presentation was a fraud and they seemed to be taking it quite seriously. The EU head tried for several minutes to regain order before succeeding and calling a recess.

Halfway around the world, Lian Harper was awoken by Jai's mobile going off. "Why is your phone ringing at all hours of the night?"

"It's from Cerdian," Jai replied sleepily. He opened the message and downloaded the file his teammate had sent him. It was an audio file and it didn't take Jai long to figure out what it was. "I guess they presented that power-point I helped them with." They listened sleepily as the presentation went on and were suddenly wide awake when the first of the arguments blared out of the mobile.

"Oh my God," Lian laughed. "Uncle Garth's a stud!"

"I want to be him when I grow up," Jai grinned as they listened to Garth coolly shoot down every wild proposition and claim hurled at him.

Back in their suite in Geneva, Cerdian glanced at the incoming message Jai had sent him. He howled in laughter and showed it to Garth. "Looks like you're a super star."

"Not what I'd expect from Wally's kid," Garth mused. "Roy's yes…Wally, not really."

"Where are they building the epic monument to your Dad's balls?" Donna read aloud and then screamed in laughter. "That actually does sound like something Jai West would say."

"He did not…ay Dios mio he did," Milagro laughed as she read over Donna's shoulder. "That's Jai to a tee!"

"Hand me that," Garth asked, holding his hand out for Cerdian's mobile. "How does it feel to have helped start your first political riot?" he said aloud as he typed, before sending the message.

"Definitely more fun on the surface than it is in Atlantis," Cerdian smirked.

"I don't have to go into the witness protection program because of that, do I?" Milagro asked.

"Nah. You're here on behalf of Themyscira and these goons wouldn't dare go after you…if they know what's good for them," Donna chuckled. "What?" she asked as Garth read the incoming text and laughed.

"Brilliant, but I'll stick to pissing off parents around the world with violent video games," Milagro read aloud. "Lian likes the idea though," she added as a second response came in.

"She would," Cerdian mused. A knock sounded on the door and he went to answer it. "Thank you," he murmured and closed the door. "They're reconvening in half an hour and they're going straight to the next presenter," he stated. "Looks like you'll have to settle for filthy looks," he told his father.

Garth snapped his fingers in disappointment. "Damn," he joked. They returned to the conference hall for the rest of the presentations. None of them had the rousing impact like the one Milagro and Cerdian had helped to put together for Garth. As the session was dismissed for the day, delegates surrounded Garth and Donna in an effort to get further information or to verify facts. Donna whispered to Milagro that she was free to head back to the suite, as Garth indicated the same to Cerdian with his eyes. The two slipped out and made their way back up to their room.

"I know Mexico isn't part of OPEC, but Señor Manzano looked like he was on your Papi's side," Milagro offered.

"The African members of OPEC and Ecuador were too," Cerdian replied. "I was watching to see which of the big oil producers were at least intrigued."

"Oh yeah? Who else?"

"Norway and Canada both tend to agree with Atlantis on environmental issues because they think we have issues with their indigenous whaling agreements," Cerdian replied. "We do, but not nearly to the degree that they think we do."

"Que?"

"Indigenous whaling we begrudgingly accept, because it is something that those populations have done for millennia to feed themselves," he explained. "The main reason we have any issue with it is because it is competition for a food source native to peoples in our territory." Milagro blinked at him in surprise. "We're against commercial whaling if that's your concern."

"No, I was surprised is all. We totally need to talk about what you guys are cool with or not when it comes to the oceans," she stated.

"We have issue with most of it," Cerdian replied. "Although they can keep dumping the precious metals on us…that we don't mind," he chuckled. Milagro flicked her finger against her neck ring and smirked.

"Despite the near riot earlier that was a raging success!" Garth announced as he and Donna entered the suite. "Congratulations! You both got our point across brilliantly!"

"Hey you did all the talking," Milagro reminded him.

"And it was your brilliant idea in the first place that actually got them thinking seriously," Garth countered, giving her a hug.

"I win, pay up," Donna stated when Milagro's eyes grew wide in realisation that she had helped to sway global opinion on such an important matter.

Garth waved his hand in front of her face and only got a tiny murmur. "Don't screw it up…she'll come in handy when you ascend the throne," he told Cerdian.

"By Palias! First her, now you," Cerdian groaned, pointing to Donna.

"I got world leaders to pay attention to something and not as Green Lantern," Milagro murmured. "I need a drink."

Cerdian smirked. "As one of your personal heroines is famous for stating…and often. One voice can change the world."

"That's cheating, pendejo," Milagro retorted, glaring at him as she snapped out of her momentary daze.

"It worked." Milagro glanced around and spied a throw pillow that she grabbed and hurled at him. Unseen by the two younger Titans, the two elder ones shared a mischievous look.

"Okay gang…well Mila, you two can get ready in ten minutes…we have a ball this evening," Donna interrupted.

"In like three hours," Milagro replied, glancing at her watch. "It won't take me that long to get ready."

Donna clapped her hands together in delight. "Practical…I love it!"

"Practiced," Milagro corrected, waving her ring in the air for a moment.

"Would you mind if one of us steals your shower to rehydrate?" Garth asked, as Cerdian stood up.

"Go for it."

"Knock yourself out."

Milagro called down to room service and ordered dinner while Donna wandered upstairs. She returned, as Milagro hung up, with a small case. "Okay, let's see what we'll be wearing tonight, courtesy of Queen Hippolyta," Donna said, opening the case to display a beautiful selection of jewellery. "Think you can go without that for the night?" Donna teased, indicating Milagro's beloved neck ring.

"I think I can manage," Milagro chuckled, removing it from around her neck. "According to Cerdian, it was made from a bunch of Spanish coins," she added when Donna studied it and complimented the simple yet elegant design.

"So it's yours anyway," Donna laughed.

"Exactly," Milagro winked, taking it back and setting it aside.

"This is reserved for honoured guests speaking on behalf of the Amazons," Donna stated taking out a small delicate gold circlet. She placed it on Milagro's head and adjusted it. "Perfect," she added and had Milagro look in the mirror.

"Cool!"

"And since I know you like green," Donna teased, as Milagro set the circlet aside.

"Oh wow!" Milagro gaped at the heavy gold and emerald necklace Donna was holding up. The design was classical Greek and came with a matching pair of cuff bracelets.

Donna glanced at Milagro's ears and saw that they were double pierced. "Leave the studs in but take the hoops out," she instructed. She handed Milagro a pair of earrings to match the rest of the ensemble. "Now you look like an Amazon," Donna purred.

"Muchas gracias," Milagro replied, setting the jewels aside. "Alright, show me what you're wearing…damn!"

"I'm a diamond kind of gal," Donna admitted.

Milagro gingerly picked up the jewellery she would be wearing along with her neck ring and headed upstairs to put them in her room. As she was getting out her gown, Cerdian ambled from the bathroom. "Wow," he stated, seeing what she would be wearing.

"You like?" she grinned.

"Good thing I guessed you were going with at least a hint of green," he chuckled. Milagro gave him a surprised look. "The cufflinks will match you," he teased. "Dinner?" he asked, hearing the knock on the door downstairs.

"Should be," Milagro replied.

"See you down there," he grinned, heading out to his room.

Donna and Milagro ate in a hurry and took off upstairs to get ready for the evening. Despite both women claiming that they wouldn't need long, they took their time anyway. Cerdian and Garth were sipping water when Milagro and Donna came downstairs, ready for the evening. Garth held his arm for Donna as Cerdian did the same for Milagro and they left. In the ballroom, they were formerly introduced. Cerdian gave a gentle tug on Milagro's arm and they wandered towards the back of the ballroom. An old friend of Donna's spied her and grabbed her attention. Garth excused himself to give the two some privacy.

"Excuse me, your highness?" a polite voice interrupted from behind Milagro and Cerdian. They turned and the president of Mexico was surprised the Atlantean prince was escorting one of his country's newest Olympic champions. "Señorita Reyes! This is a pleasant surprise."

"Good evening Señor Manzano," Milagro replied.

"Señor President," Cerdian acknowledged. "I'm a fan," he added, indicating Milagro.

President Manzano looked pleasantly pleased with Cerdian's declaration before getting to business. "Your father, the king, said that you helped put together his presentation."

"Milagro and I did, with the help of a friend of ours, yes," Cerdian acknowledged. "It was Milagro's idea to take the approach we did."

"You are from Texas," the president asked, looking squarely at Milagro. "So you know oil country and production and how it works."

Milagro replied with a polite bow of her head. "I also know that most of the production will suffer and his royal highness' people would face the great possibility of extinction if what we projected did happen," she added.

"If I may," Cerdian added. "Just using two infamous examples in the Exxon Valdez spill and the Deep Horizons incident in the Gulf…they were very costly, both financially and environmentally. Magnify that, and…" he held his hands up in a gesture of who knows.

President Manzano narrowed his eyes and smiled at the two. "We are hosting a conference of oil producing countries in three months' time," he stated. "May I ask that you expand a little on your work and present it on the behalf of Mexico? Your Highness, from the viewpoint of an ally of my people, and Señorita Reyes as the voice of Mexico's future?"

Milagro and Cerdian shared a look and a shrug. "I think we can arrange that, Señor Manzano," Milagro replied.

"Can you get the details to me before the end of the conference?" Cerdian asked. President Manzano apologised and said that final details were still in the works. "Not a problem. When you have them just send them to our consulate in Cancun. They'll be sure to get them to me and I have Mila on speed dial."

Across the room, Donna found Garth and looked over to what he was watching. "What are they up to?" she asked.

"I can't lip read in Spanish, but they've agreed to something," Garth replied.

"That's the Mexican president they're talking to, right?"

"Mmhmm. He was very interested in what I had to say earlier," Garth answered. "I remember that he mentioned something about an oil conference in a couple of months."

"Maybe he's asking them to speak there?" Donna suggested.

"We'll grill them later," Garth chuckled. A soft voice asked for their pardon, and stated that she wanted to speak with them. Garth and Donna both turned and bowed to the young medical student in respect.

"You always have the Amazons' undivided attention, Honoured Sister," Donna greeted warmly.

"As well as that of my kingdom," Garth added. "How may we be of assistance Ms Yousafzai?"

She blushed slightly but asked her question anyway. "Your Majesty, I am sorry I missed it because I was still travelling here, but I hear that you presented a brilliant piece on global warming and the monetary impact. Can you tell me more about it, please?"

Garth and Donna shared a mischievous look. "I think we can do one better," Donna smiled.

"The presentation you heard about was thrown together at the absolute last minute by my son and his friend, who I might add is a huge admirer of yours," Garth replied. "Perhaps you'd like to ask them yourself?"

"If it's not a problem," Malala asked hopefully.

"I don't think it will be," Garth replied, allowing Donna to lead Malala ahead of him.

"Mila? Cerdian?" Donna grinned as she came up to them. "I believe you both know Malala Yousafzai. May I introduce you, Sister to his Royal Highness Prince Cerdian and my personal guest Milagro Reyes?"

"They did the research and put together the presentation I gave this morning," Garth added.

"An honour," Cerdian bowed his head.

"I am so humbled and honoured to meet you," Milagro grinned. "I have been a huge fan of yours for years!" she admitted.

"Thank you very much," Malala replied. "His majesty says that you two did the work behind this morning's presentation?"

"It was her idea," Cerdian stated, nodding towards Milagro.

"What would you like to know?" Milagro asked.

"We'll leave you three to it," Donna said, politely excusing Garth and herself. The youths acknowledged their leaving before focusing on each other again.

"I haven't seen it yet," Malala admitted. "But I am hearing many rumbles…it focused on the financial impact?"

"Unfortunately, the money is what you have to drive home for many of them here," Milagro stated. "We highlighted the environmental and humanitarian impacts as well."

"The oceans would be rendered useless to humanity. Several countries would vanish under the waves," Cerdian added, as Milagro dug in her clutch. "Not to mention that my people would face extinction."

"I brought a couple copies with me just in case," Milagro grinned, pulling out a flash drive.

"Thank you," Malala grinned. "Do you mind giving me your email address? I would be interested in helping you with possibly expanding on the humanitarian impact, if you don't mind?"

Milagro took out her mobile and powered it on. She got Malala's number and texted hers and Cerdian's email addresses. "That'll be so perfect, because the President of Mexico just asked if we'd present this at a conference he's hosting in a few months," she stated. "We threw this together in a few hours yesterday."

"It was an absolute last minute idea and we'd love to tidy it up and make it more potent and thorough," Cerdian added. "And we have that chance in March, courtesy of the Mexican government. So any insight you can give us will greatly be appreciated."

"I'll watch this and email you my thoughts," Malala said, tucking the flash drive away in her purse. "You look familiar," she added, looking at Milagro. "Are you on TV?"

Cerdian smirked. "If you watched the Olympics this past summer and the diving, then you that's where you've seen her."

"You won!" Malala stated, pointing to Milagro. "My God isn't that terrifying though?"

"Okay give me a minute here…my brain just broke," Milagro stammered. "To me, jumping into water from ten metres up is nothing compared to what you've faced and endured. Your courage and determination is why I have hung onto your every word ever since you came to global attention. I can't begin to imagine what you've overcome."

"The heights aren't even a little scary?" Malala asked.

Milagro shook her head. "They're part of the thrill. Diving is my idea of fun."

"Ah, okay. I don't like heights," Malala admitted.

"Not everyone can handle heights," Milagro agreed. "They've never bothered me though."

"It looks like I'm about to be dragged off," Malala said, spotting several dignitaries who seemed genuinely interested in her time. "Would you both mind if I get a picture with you?"

"I'd like to see them try and stop us," Milagro scoffed. Cerdian got the attention of an attendant and handed over his mobile along with Milagro's and Malala's. The attendant took several shots on each mobile before handing them back.

"Thank you so much. I'll watch your presentation and email you when I can," Malala thanked them.

"Muchas gracias a tu," Milagro grinned. "I can't wait to see what you think."

"Just remember that it was a hasty spur of the moment job and we will improve on it," Cerdian added. They bid each other farewell and Malala was escorted off to meet with other conference guests.

"It's not working," Milagro muttered, grinning broadly. "Thinking about every bad day I've ever had, is not working."

"You need to fangirl?"

"Badly."

"Good, so do I. C'mon," Cerdian chuckled. He led Milagro to where Donna and Garth were and said that they were going to take a breather.

Milagro managed to hold out until they were alone in the hotel elevator. "Ay Dios mio! Oh my God!" she exclaimed. Cerdian hugged her to keep her from jumping up and down in the elevator.

"Tell me about it," he chuckled. "It's not every day you have a Noble Peace laureate interested in working with you."

"My hero! And she's only a few years older than us…I'm…" Milagro stammered as Cerdian opened the door to their suite.

"Stunned beyond words," he teased. Milagro shook her hand after punching him in the arm.

"Pendejo," she laughed. "Damn, you're like hitting Chris."

"Denser physiology," Cerdian reminded her, removing his tuxedo jacket and flopping gracefully onto the sofa.

"You got the dense part right," Milagro snorted, kicking off her shoes and joining him. Cerdian playfully shoved her with a pillow. "Oh, gracias," she grinned and buried her face into the pillow to scream. Cerdian erupted in laughter as Milagro got her excitement out of her system.

"You know what, give me that," he said when she came up for air. Milagro laughed as he buried his face in the pillow. Laying down on the sofa and resting her head in his lap, the two continued to laugh.

Some time had passed and Donna asked Garth if he'd seen their two young charges. "Not since they said they were stepping out for a bit," he replied, scanning the crowd for Cerdian's distinct silvery white mane. They shared a look.

"This'll be winding down in an hour or so, should we ditch it now?" Donna suggested.

"Let's go," Garth agreed. They expertly made their way through the crowd, making apologies and bidding other attendees good night.

Donna Troy had an idea in mind of what had happened, however the reality was not it. "You two have been up here texting people all this time?" she asked, when she and Garth returned to the suite.

"How long have we been gone?" Milagro asked, not moving a muscle from her reclined position on the sofa.

"Nearly two hours," Garth chuckled.

"Say what?" Cerdian asked, as Milagro sat bolt upright.

"Obviously you've had your fill of excitement for one night. Bed. Both of you," Donna playfully ordered. She shook her head as she watched Milagro skip to the stairs.

"You already thought they were in bed, didn't you?" Garth teased once the two younger Titans disappeared upstairs.

"Like you didn't?" Donna retorted. The elder Titans retired shortly afterwards.

The final day of the conference had dawned and Donna and Garth both had to smother their amusement at how attentive Milagro and Cerdian were being. The two representatives had arguably the most complete notes ever taken at a global conference for either Themyscira or Atlantis.

"You do know that we're not mad at you for ditching us last night, right?" Donna asked, once they'd returned to their suite for the night.

"Yeah," Milagro shrugged. "We're just making up for last night is all." Cerdian pointed to her and nodded his agreement.

"Oh," Donna murmured. "Okay then." She sighed and looked around the living room. "I've got an early flight in the morning…I'm going to go pack."

"That's a good idea," Garth agreed. "We're leaving early too, now that I think about it."

"We're swapping hotels?" Cerdian asked.

"We're swapping cities. We're flying to Paris in the morning," Garth replied.

"Paris?" Donna scoffed.

"I love it and he's never been there," Garth defended.

"Make his bank account bleed," Donna muttered to Milagro.

"I'll give it my best shot," she grinned, saluting Donna.

The following morning, Donna left early for the airport. She had offered to take one of Milagro's bags home to New York and the young woman could pick it up on her way home. An hour later, Garth, Cerdian, and Milagro also left for their trip to the City of Lights.

"I could so get used to this diplomacy thing," Milagro stated a day later as they strolled through the ancient city.


	41. So This Is Christmas

So This Is Christmas

_A/N: Silverdash made an interesting request in the comments to the last chapter. Since I started this series as a retaliation against the whole 52 arc in DC and haven't read any of it since about two months after it started, I admit that I liked the idea._

Red Robin stood in the shadows provided by a few palms that had survived the monumental disaster. Three days ago, a ship had been picked up on radar and the occupants identified themselves as the Teen Titans. Tim Drake knew damn well that they weren't, considering that all but one of them was dead or had never existed. The one who did exist was younger and most certainly not a Green Lantern. He knew all about Milagro Reyes since he'd compiled as much data as possible on that Jaime Reyes kid, who was running around calling himself Blue Beetle. As for the one claiming to be Damian Wayne. It had taken every ounce of strength Tim had to not lash out and strike him down. He'd seen the footage of Damian's death earlier that year and showed it to the imposters. The one calling herself Kid Flash nearly fainted when she saw it and said something about a nightmare that her friends knew about. As Tim's team interrogated the imposters, a more urgent disaster took precedence. A massive earthquake just off the shore of Indonesia had ruptured so much sea floor that an ocean wide tsunami had swept across the Indian Ocean. When the new Titans claimed knowledge of the same thing happening, only a decade earlier, Tim admitted that he was intrigued. Lian Harper, another one he knew of because she was also dead, had been frantic about two islands off the Thai coast. The heroes were mobilising to help out around the Indian Ocean basin, but no one had given a thought to the countries north of Indonesia.

"If this is the same as the one we know of, then Phuket and Phi Phi Islands are going to need our help," Arsenal stated.

"Khao Lak got hit the worst, didn't it?" Surge asked.

"Yeah it did," Firewall murmured.

"So which one do we go to?" Green Lantern asked.

"It depends if Timothy trusts us enough to help," Robin stated, staring at Red Robin.

Tim glared at Damian as he made his decision. He had the look and most certainly the condescending attitude of the Damian Wayne he had known briefly. Tim couldn't wait for the DNA results to come back, but it would have to. People needed help and he had to make a choice. Looking to his Titans, he did. "You guys take the islands. I'll go with them to Khao Lak."

"Great! Let's go," Kid Flash exclaimed and tore off towards their ship.

That had been three days ago. Now Tim stood in the shadows on an abandoned beach and scrutinised the group who called themselves the Teen Titans. The Thai army and aid agencies had taken over with the recovery and the Titans had been thanked for their invaluable assistance. Arsenal had gotten a brief glimpse of Roy Harper, when the Outlaws had made an appearance and it had shaken her. At Tim's insistence, the Outlaws had moved on to the Andaman Islands to help there. Tim studied her as she sat in the sand, staring out at the water. Sin sat beside her in quiet meditation, ready to listen when her niece finally spoke up.

"If that's what he was like," Lian murmured. "No wonder he said fuck it and we headed for the Reservation for a few years."

Sin cracked an eye open and looked at Lian. "I can see why," she said. "The Reservation has a strange healing aura about it."

"It took us both long enough to find it and tap into it," Lian snorted in disgust.

"I said 'strange', not 'strong'," Sin pointed out. "It's understandable given the circumstances that it took you both some time."

"You're not helping," Lian stated.

"Yeah I am. You're just as stupid stubborn as he is, so you can't see it yet," Sin replied. Lian shot her a scathing look and returned her gaze to the ocean. Sin was about to return to her meditation when she spied a local woman who was helping one of the aid agencies. The woman was cautiously making her way to the group on the beach, so Sin got up and went to her.

"It's from Red Crescent," the woman said, handing a bag over to Sin. Sin looked inside and saw that it was food. "They told me to bring it to you," the woman added when she saw that Sin was about to polite refuse it.

Sin set the bag down and bowed deeply before the woman. "Give them our humblest thanks," Sin said. The woman bowed in return and said that she would before turning to leave them alone again. Sin took the bag and went to Lian, dropping a ration packet into her lap. "Eat," she commanded.

"Kiss my ass," Lian scoffed. "Hey!" she growled when Sin tapped her boot to Lian's rear.

"I'm sorry, I thought you said kick," Sin smirked.

"Bitch," Lian smirked in return.

"Just like Roy," Sin chuckled as she turned to hand the rations out to the others. Lian flipped her off and opened her packet.

Sin passed Damian and tossed him a couple of ration packets, which he thanked her for with a bow of his head. Sin's next stop was Milagro, sitting alone near the shore. She'd been there for a while after Cerdian had disappeared beneath the waves, claiming that he needed to build up his strength. For what he didn't say. "Hola," Milagro muttered, when Sin flopped down beside her.

"The Red Crescent figured we should probably eat," Sin said, handing over a packet.

"Gracias," Milagro murmured, accepting it and setting it aside.

"Alright," Sin sighed. "Besides pining for his royal wetness, what's wrong?"

Milagro let her hand fall forward, showing off her ring. "My ring senses Jaime nearby and wants to go on the attack."

"Huh?"

"In our reality…Jaime's scarab defeated the Reach with Jaime's help. That action alone got Kahji on the list as the only Reach scarab that can be trusted by the Green Lantern Corps." Milagro fiddled with her ring as Sin listened. "I guess that hasn't happened here, or my ring wouldn't want to go after my brother."

"Your brother's scarab was an enemy of the Green Lanterns?" Sin asked. Milagro nodded.

"Reach technology, like the scarab, was sent out across the universe to take over worlds inhabited by intelligent life," Milagro explained. "Something happened to Kahji that kind of broke him when he arrived here on Earth millennia ago. When Kahji rebooted his software, he tweaked it and the result was that Kahji had no desire to follow Reach protocol. Four thousand or so years later, Kahji joins with Jaime and becomes the only scarab that the Green Lanterns consider safe."

"The Reach are an enemy of the Corps, I take it," Sin asked. Milagro nodded.

"My ring knows that it is Kahji it's sensing, but the protocol that lets the rings accept Kahji doesn't exist here. So my ring wants to follow one of its base commands and take out my brother's scarab…and probably my brother with it," Milagro murmured.

"You can override that though, right?"

"I've been doing it for three days," Milagro admitted. "It's not that hard since the command is a base one and easy to control."

Sin took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "You should probably eat. I'm sure that it's still taxing even if you say it is easy to control." Milagro picked up her packet and opened it. Sin got up and went to her next destination.

"Ay dios mio…don't these people know what the hell hot sauce is?" she heard Milagro mutter.

Iris and Jai were sitting with their backs against a palm tree. Chris was lying in the sand, shirtless and soaking up as much solar radiation as he could. "I am never ever going to be able to look at her and not wonder if she's got designs on Dad ever again," Chris muttered.

"At least you have parents here to worry about," Iris reminded him as she fiddled with a piece of coral. "This Bart said he didn't even know who our parents were."

"Superman and Wonder Woman…that's fanboy material right there," Jai mused. Iris smacked him and he glared at her. "Well it is," Jai groused.

"Not helping, asshole," Iris growled.

"Its fanboy material, that I'll never find enough brain bleach in the universe, to remove from my mind," Chris groaned, jamming his palms into his eyes.

"You must be starving," Sin offered as she came upon them. She handed out rations to the three of them and took a seat next to Iris to eat a ration of her own.

"The nausea's passed," Iris admitted, opening two rations and devouring them. She returned to the piece of coral she was fiddling with.

"We've seen bodies before," Chris reminded her.

"Not like that we haven't," Iris countered.

"I know that it happened in our reality and that it was bad," Sin said, changing the subject a little. "But I don't really know the details."

"With the exception of the year being wrong, everything I've heard so far is the same," Jai told her. "Granted I'm only picking up spotty reports…but so far it all sounds familiar."

"The day is wrong too," Chris murmured.

"It is?"

"In our reality, tomorrow will be the sixteenth anniversary of the version we know," Chris supplied.

"Tomorrow?" Iris balked. "But that means today is…"

"Yup. Merry Christmas," Jai scoffed. "Welcome to a reality where the four of us have been retconned." Chris snorted a laugh from his spot in the sand.

"Seriously?" Sin asked. Iris tied off a piece of rope to one end of the coral and dashed off for a second.

"Yup. I saw the date at the Tower when we got here," Chris stated. "December twenty second, twenty fourteen."

Sin held up the water from her ration packet and proposed a toast. "Here's to sticking it to reality," she said. The other three laughed and tapped their water bottles with Sin's.

"Where'd you take off too just now, Irey?" Chris asked.

"Christmas ornament," Iris replied, pointing up. The piece of coral she'd been occupied with was roughly star shaped and hanging from one of the palm fronds above them.

Damian watched them for a moment before concluding that Sin had intended for him to take Tim's ration to him. He wandered to the scraggly copse of trees Tim was lurking near and casually read the information on one of the ration packets. "Courtesy of the Libyan chapter of the Red Crescent," he said, tossing it to Tim.

"Thanks," Tim replied, catching it and reading it. It was in Arabic but he recognised the symbols that spelled out Libya.

"Not exactly couscous but it will suffice," Damian mused, leaning against one of the palms and digging in.

"I got the DNA results back yesterday," Tim said. "You are who you say you are."

"I should hope so," Damian replied. He glanced at Tim and saw the deep frown on his brow. "I can't begin to imagine what my being here does to you," Damian offered.

Tim looked over at the nearly grown man and shook his head. "I hated him. The little shit was a holy terror," he admitted. Damian laughed and Tim glared. "What?"

"You…well my version of you, and I did not get along in the beginning either," Damian replied.

"What changed between you two?" Tim asked.

"I grew up and developed a modicum of humility," Damian admitted.

"You're still a complete bastard, aren't you?" Tim mused.

Damian chuckled. "Jason will tell you that I am. That's usually when the prank wars start."

"Huh?" Damian was about to explain when Cerdian emerged from the ocean. "Where the hell has he been?" Tim demanded.

"I don't know," Damian replied, as they both headed to the shoreline to meet the Atlantean.

"Where the hell have you been?" Milagro demanded as the Titans gathered on the shore.

Cerdian held up a stone artefact. "Studying this and gathering my strength."

"That's the artefact we were returning to the Justice Society," Damian stated.

"It's a magical relic," Cerdian explained. "It's also why we're here."

"Can you use it to magic us home?" Jai asked hopefully.

Cerdian nodded. "There's a nice little bundle of ley lines just off shore. That's where I was, soaking up the energy from them."

"We can return you to your Tower," Damian offered Tim.

"My team's just down the coast on Phuket," Tim stated.

The Titans headed for their ship and took off for Phuket Island. They found Tim's Titans on a lonely shore at the northern end of the island. Tim just told them to let him off and use the relic to return to their own reality.

"You're letting them go?" Superboy demanded.

"They're who they say they are," Red Robin replied. "Robin is definitely." He explained about the relic and how the team had ended up in a world where most of them didn't even exist. "Where are you going?" he asked Superboy who lifted off into the air.

"Making sure they leave."

On the ship, Cerdian reached into his shirt and removed a wire-wrapped shell necklace. "When I get us back, put this around the relic so we don't get shunted somewhere else unpleasant," he said, handing the necklace to Sin.

"This will neutralise it?" Sin asked, studying the beautiful pendant.

Cerdian nodded and focused on the relic. There was a small flash of light and a wave of disorientation went through the Titans. Sin reached out and grabbed the relic as it began to slip from Cerdian's fingers. Chris caught the Atlantean as he crumpled in exhaustion. "Got it?" he asked, easily lifting Cerdian into his arms.

"Yep," Sin replied, holding onto the relic that she'd wrapped the necklace around. "How's he doing?" she asked, nodding towards Cerdian.

"Exhausted but he'll be just fine," Chris reported.

"We're back!" Milagro cheered, sensing that her ring no longer wanted to attack her brother.

"Yes we are. Two minutes from when we left and ho damn…" Jai trailed off.

"Ho damn?" Iris asked.

"Instead of being over the Ohio Valley, we're just off the coast of Phuket, Thailand," Jai stated.

"It'll be two hours before we get to D.C. and the brownstone," Lian muttered.

"And I don't feel like taking our chances again," Damian said. "Lantern, take the relic and get it to Fate fast. We'll meet you there," he ordered.

"Si," Milagro acknowledged. Sin gingerly held up the neutralised relic and Milagro encased it in pure Oan energy. Milagro went to the airlock and Damian opened the outer door for her. She made the trip in only a few minutes and handed the relic over to Doctor Fate. "This thing's trouble," she said when Fate accepted it.

"I hope your team forgives me for asking you to retrieve it. My magics would have caused it to disrupt the entire world before I got anywhere near it," Fate replied, changing out Cerdian's necklace for a more ornate one. Milagro stepped back as the relic crumbled in Fate's hands. "It is safe now. The relic had to be destroyed and your Atlantean prince was the only magic user available to both safely contain it and use it should it have gone off."

"Couldn't you have just had Cerdian destroy it then?" Milagro asked, accepting Cerdian's necklace from Fate.

"No. Surge is a harmonious balance of chaos and order magics. The relic is pure chaos magic and only a Lord of Order like myself, is capable of destroying it," Fate explained. "Where are your friends?" he asked, leading Milagro away to the living area of the brownstone.

"They're coming, we…ohh," she paused, trying to think of how to explain what they had endured because of the relic. Fate chuckled.

"Pieter should have his delicious hot chocolate brewing, perhaps you would like to share some with me as you tell your story," he offered.

"Yeah," Milagro agreed. "Can I get some food with that too, por favor?" she asked.

It was almost midnight when the rest of the Titans arrived in Washington DC. Cerdian was awake but very weak and leaning on Chris heavily. He held out his hand to Milagro and she placed his necklace into it. "Warn me next time, please," Cerdian addressed Fate.

"I ran the risk of setting it off if I did," Fate informed him.

Cerdian didn't care. "Warn me next time, please," he repeated.

"Here, this'll help," Doctor Midnite said, offering Cerdian a mug of hot chocolate. The clock began chiming and they all looked up. "God Jul," he offered warmly. It was Christmas morning.

"You told them?" Damian asked Milagro as he accepted some hot chocolate. She nodded. "Takk," he offered to Pieter. "This one is already turning out better than the one we just left."

"Hell yeah it is," Lian agreed.

"Stay here and rest," Pieter told them. "We've already let your families know that you're safe and will be home in the morning."

"Well then, Merry Christmas, dudes!" Jai stated, flopping down next to Milagro.

Several of the Justice Society wandered in and joined the Titans in the living room. Iris felt the prick of tears in her eyes as she looked at the Christmas tree in the corner of the room. One of the ornaments looked like the piece of coral she had strung up in the alternate reality. Jay Garrick ran his hand over her head and Iris turned to give him a big smile and join in on the conversation taking place. In the other reality, survivors in Khao Lak spied the coral star hanging in the pathetic palm tree and added to it.


	42. Opposites Attract

Opposites Attract

_A/N: I've long established in this series that Jai and Damian are BFF's forever! I've also established that Chris is the shy kid, while Cerdian is the elusive enigmatic one…mostly because he has to be to protect his teammate's identities. And while Jai and Damian appear to be complete opposites, they're practically twins compared to Chris and Cerdian. Set not long after Sin joins the team._

Chris Kent had slept in that morning and woke to find that his teammates were all gone. A note taped to his door in Jai's elegant scrawl said that they'd gone into the city and would be in China Town if Chris wanted to join them. Chris stood out like a sore thumb in China Town and decided to pass. He did have a bit of cabin fever though and wanted to get out. Berkley, he hadn't been there for a while and he vanished into the crowds there. But then Cerdian could also be in his natural appearance and vanish in the crowds in Berkley. The Kryptonian shrugged and got up to get ready for a day in the eclectic suburb. Just before turning on the shower his ears picked up the sound of a heartbeat. After listening for a moment, he realised that his Atlantean teammate had stayed behind as well.

Showered and dressed, Chris followed his hearing to a rarely used corridor in the Tower. He saw Cerdian sitting in a meditative pose before a statue of the fallen Aquagirl, Tula. "You're not the only one around here with sharp ears," Cerdian stated as Chris tried to slip away.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," Chris apologised.

Cerdian rose from the floor and stretched out his lanky frame. "I was done communing with Tula anyway," he said. "You got abandoned too?"

"You weren't here when they left?" Chris asked.

"I was swimming with the seals around the Farallons," Cerdian replied. "I came back to find a note saying that they were going to show Sin around town."

"Yeah, in China Town," Chris said. "Not really my bag today. I'm heading over to Berkley though, you interested?"

"Give me a minute to go get changed and I'll gladly take you up on that offer," Cerdian accepted.

"I'll meet you in the lounge," Chris said before Cerdian took off for his quarters.

A few minutes passed and Chris looked up to see his teammate in jeans, hooded sweater, jacket, and combat boots. Cerdian waved his hand and murmured the spell that changed his appearance. "Ready."

"Ian discovered manic panic?" Chris chuckled. Cerdian held out his ponytail and glanced at the blue ends of his hair.

"If it's too much, I can change it," he suggested.

"That actually suits you better," Chris said.

They left for the mainland and hoofed down to the Embarcadero St BART station. "The Walnut Creek line will get us there, right?" Cerdian asked, as they checked the schedule.

"Yeah, and there's one coming in two minutes," Chris replied. They headed for the platform and waited for the train. Chris watched as Cerdian got out his music player and put one of the earbuds in. The Atlantean's hearing was better suited for underwater where it was concentrated. The way sound moved in air made pinpointing it for Cerdian, difficult in noisy situations. He'd discovered that playing music in one ear made hearing easier when they were in busy or crowded areas. "Better?"

"Much," Cerdian sighed. The station was filled with the constant buzzing of trains and the trams that ran on the rails above them. Their train arrived and they got on. The car was mostly empty, so they found a seat and Chris sat on the inside, by the window. Cerdian flopped down beside him and smirked. "One of the perks of not being human is that we can whisper and hear each other just fine in here."

"This is true," Chris chuckled. "Okay I have to ask…I know about Tula…"

Cerdian figured where the question was going. "Dad told me all about her when I was growing up. And though he loved my mother dearly, he still loved Tula more."

"That doesn't faze you?"

"Why should it?" Cerdian asked. "Atlantean relationships are a lot freer and more open than on the surface. Considering Tula was his first love, I'd be surprised if he felt differently."

"Hnn," Chris had never thought of that.

"I commune with her occasionally," Cerdian said. "Tell her how Dad's doing. That I would have liked to have known her…that sort of thing." Cerdian paused and then smiled softly. "Kind of the same stuff I tell my mother when I'm communing with her too."

"How old were you when your mom died?" Chris asked.

"Six or seven months old…something like that. I have a pretty good idea of what she looked like, but nothing more really," Cerdian replied. "Dad's told me everything about her, but it's not the same." Chris bit at his lip as he considered his next question. He was beginning to think Cerdian could read minds when he offered up the answer Chris was trying to figure out how best to ask. "Dad misses them both but he's not alone. You should come down sometime and meet Letifos," he chuckled.

"Letifos?"

Cerdian smirked. "Dad's had a casual fling going with her for decades now." Cerdian glanced around and saw that no one was paying attention to them so he conjured up a small image of the merqueen. Chris was convinced Cerdian was a mind reader a moment later. "And despite the obvious physical differences, they do manage and just fine."

"I was really trying not to ponder that," Chris muttered, blushing profusely. His train of thought began to run away from him and he elbowed Cerdian. "No…really, dude." Cerdian just laughed.

"Palias, Lian's not kidding when she says you're a country boy."

"I can dehydrate you in under a second with just a look," Chris playfully threatened. Cerdian just laughed harder.

They rode in companionable silence for a while before Cerdian spoke up. "Were you planning on hitting downtown or Telegraph and University today?"

"Telegraph and University. There's a street party going on downtown with the annual wine stroll," Chris replied.

"They love wine strolls up here, don't they?" Cerdian mused.

"One of the largest wine producing regions on the planet is just on the other side of the Golden Gate," Chris pointed out. He watched as Cerdian silently counted off on his fingers before shrugging. "Mom can't wait for me to turn twenty one," Chris added. "While you're at the Tower, could you pick up a bottle of chateau whatever, Sweetie?" he said in a fair imitation of Lois. Cerdian snorted a laugh.

"This is us, right?" Cerdian asked as the next station was announced over the speakers.

"Yup," Chris stood up and followed Cerdian to the doors. They exited the train and headed to street level. Cerdian took out his earbud and turned off his music player. "Oh cool, everyone's downtown," Chris grinned.

"You really aren't a people person, are you?" Cerdian remarked as they headed for the main street nearby.

Chris shrugged. "Blame my parents…the ones that made me," he added to be more specific. Cerdian conceded his friend's point with a nod a moment later. "Around you guys I'm fine. It's around strangers I start to feel uncomfortable."

"You do fake it well in our day job," Cerdian stated.

"This works like a protective barrier, making it easier," Chris replied, drawing an S on his chest. "God it smells good," he purred a moment later.

"I haven't eaten yet," Cerdian suggested, as they both looked at the many restaurants lining the street.

"This way," Chris said, pointing to a Mediterranean place. Cerdian gestured that Chris go first and Chris laughed. "Last time I looked, I was the peasant."

"I'll rule over a just and fair kingdom one day," Cerdian teased.

"Kebobs and gyros…decisions, decisions," Chris murmured as they waited to be seated.

"Get one each and split it?" Cerdian suggested.

"You will make a good king someday," Chris agreed.

"I know." Cerdian smirked as Chris erupted in laughter. They were led to a table and placed their orders as soon as their waitress arrived. She took them down and went to fetch their drinks.

Chris was biting his lip to keep from smiling at the poor waitress who was hopelessly flirting with Cerdian when she returned with their drinks. "How do you do it?" he asked when she left a little disappointed a moment later, after Cerdian politely brushed her advances off.

"Years of practice," Cerdian replied. "It's easier though when Mila and I go out."

"I've seen the look," Chris laughed. "When we took that road trip last year it was hilarious. Chicks would flirt with Damian and all three of them would give the poor soul the look of death."

"Irey's got the 'he's mine' look. Lian's is 'I'll kill you slowly and painfully and revel in every second of it'. And Mila's got the 'don't make me go Chola on your ass' look," Cerdian mused. "I wonder what Sin's evil look will be."

"I know more martial arts than God and I'm not afraid to use them?" Chris suggested.

"Probably," they both chuckled.

"With knuckle cracking thrown in for effect," Chris added. "Thank you," he said when their food arrived. He scooped up two of the kebobs on his plate and slid them onto Cerdian's, while Cerdian sliced his gyro in half and placed half on Chris' plate. They ate in silence and split the bill between them.

"I'm in my happy place," Cerdian purred as they left the restaurant. "Where to next?"

"I don't know. Let's wander around and see what looks good," Chris suggested. "We could head up towards campus, there's always something going on there."

Cerdian paused for a moment before remembering that a branch of the University of California was just up the road. "How many UC branches do they have?" he asked as they headed up the street.

Chris counted on his fingers. "I can think of seven off the top of my head. Most of them are up here in Northern California." They stopped at a cross walk. "They all specialise in different areas. This one is primarily a tech school."

"Ah, I was about to ask if they all taught the same thing or not."

"Have you considered college?" Chris asked.

Cerdian shook his head. "I don't think my school records would transfer well to the surface," he admitted with a chuckle. "I already know what my future will be and that can't be taught in a classroom."

Chris shrugged. "I suppose not."

"How about you? You go to school for writing, right?" The walk sign flashed green and they continued on their way.

"Yep. I find what Mom and Dad do amazingly interesting…so picking it as a career was a no-brainer," Chris said. "I just had a thought. Jai and I are the only ones that go to school."

"And the only reason Jai bothered, is because he needs the degree for the job he wants," Cerdian chuckled. "And you're not entirely correct. Damian is in a position where a hands on experience is more valuable, as are Mila and I. So while our educations aren't as formal, they're still useful."

"Mila's been messing in her Dad's garage since she was twelve," Chris pointed out. "But yeah, I see your point. Unless you're planning on going into a real specialised field, college degrees are over rated these days."

"I can't think of anywhere that teaches 'monarchy 101'," Cerdian mused. "Education in Atlantis is vastly different than anything you'd find here on the surface. Technically I only have a formal elementary school education. Everything after learning the basics is through apprenticeships of some kind. Although there is a continuation curriculum for those interested in scholarly fields. When Dad was younger, Orin made him go to school in Scotland for a few years. Mostly to get used to being around surface dwellers."

Chris stopped walking and balked at Cerdian. "You only went to school until sixth grade?"

"Fourth," Cerdian corrected. "Four years of formal school between years of magical and political training. And I'm still learning politics."

"I ended up with the wrong species on this planet," Chris muttered, as they continued walking.

"We don't get a lot of sunlight…hello, what's this?" Cerdian asked as they saw a crowd up ahead.

Chris lowered his head so he could see over the rim of his glasses. "Street market," he replied, adjusting his glasses.

"Those are always interesting," Cerdian pointed out. "Especially the ones in Juarez."

"How often do you go to El Paso?" Chris asked as they headed for the market.

"Enough that Bianca's already sat me down and told me what will happen, in great detail, if I screw over her daughter," Cerdian smirked.

"Ouch. You didn't even get Alberto…you got Bianca laying down the law," Chris laughed.

"That's because Berto's a wise man...he knows his wife's in charge." Cerdian stopped suddenly and held out his right hand slightly.

"What's up?" Chris asked.

"This is why I love street markets on the surface," Cerdian murmured. "Half the time they don't realise the treasures they're selling." Cerdian honed in on the aura he was sensing and spied a table operated by a geology student. "Bingo."

"Winnemucca? That's only half a day's drive from here," Chris stated as he handled an opal on the table.

"There's an opal mine, open to the public about an hour and a half north of town," the student manning the table said. "That's where these came from."

"And these?" Cerdian asked, focusing his magical sensitivity on a selection of small tumbled fire opals.

"Southern Oregon, right on the border with Neva…" the student trailed off when one of them started to glow as Cerdian's hand drifted over it. "That whole crystal power thing is real?"

"Most humans who believe in it have a natural sensitivity towards it," Cerdian replied. "Then you get people like me, who can actually exploit it," he added, picking up the glowing one and concentrating on it for a moment. The glow faded.

"People like you?" Cerdian waved his hand slightly, casting an aura that hid them from notice and snapped his fingers. "Oh, gotcha," when the student saw Cerdian's true appearance.

"Show off," Chris teased. Cerdian waggled his eyebrows at Chris.

"You're awfully accepting for a scientist," Cerdian mused as he snapped his fingers again and waved off the spell he'd cast.

"Scientist in training and even if I don't understand how something works, I can believe it if I see it," the student shrugged. "This might seem like a stupid question, but what would you use something like that for?"

"In my line of work, there's no such thing as too many talismans," Cerdian replied. He pulled out his wallet and handed over the twenty dollars the student had the opal marked as. "And magic always comes at a price…and your's is far too generous," he added, putting his wallet away and reaching into an inner pocket of his jacket. "I have no idea which shipwreck it's from, but some of the other items I found with it suggest the sixteen twenties," Cerdian stated, handing over a small gold Spanish coin.

"Wow," the student murmured, studying the coin. "Is there anything else here that you might need?" he asked after a moment. He gaped as Cerdian held his hand over the table and all the stones began glowing in various intensities.

"They're all useful, but I have the one I need for the moment, thank you," Cerdian replied.

"Thank you for making my chosen field suddenly way more interesting," the student chuckled. "If you're ever interested again, I'm here on the last Saturday of every month."

Cerdian accepted a business card and tucked it away with his prize. "Thank you again, Nate. I'll keep that in mind."

"Do you always freak out rock vendors?" Chris asked as they walked away.

"Not really," Cerdian replied. "Granted Nate is the first one I've run into selling them as scientific specimens. The little old abuelas in Juarez aren't at all fazed by me. They can see right through me," he chuckled.

"Huh?"

"They know I'm a magi," Cerdian specified. "Now…do I have any electrum wire at the Tower," he murmured.

"Electrum?" Chris asked.

"A gold silver alloy used in jewellery making…or in my case, talisman making," he replied. "One part gold to three parts silver is the blend I prefer. The gold keeps the silver from tarnishing."

"I've never heard of it before," Chris admitted.

"The ancient Egyptians were pros at producing it," Cerdian told him. "It's a very difficult alloy to make on the surface. The pressures back home make it much easier to blend the two."

"Remind me to grill the hell out of you when we get back to the Tower," Chris said. "Even though magic kinda screws me up, it's still fascinating."

"I'll be putting together a piece tonight. You're more than welcome to watch," Cerdian offered.

"I'll gladly take you up on that offer…ooo," Chris was focused on a table with old books.

"Hmm?"

"My turn to freak someone out…maybe," Chris laughed. He saw a small leather bound volume and picked it up. Opening it carefully he grinned. "This is perfect."

Cerdian leaned over to read it. "A doctor's journal on treating plague victims in the sixteen thirties?"

"Yup, in Milan, Italy," Chris replied. "I think that Black Death outbreak took out a quarter of a million people."

"Not the kind of reading material I'd suspect you to be interested in," Cerdian mused. "Tam on the other hand…"

"Tam's a nutcase but we love her anyway," Chris chuckled. "It always fascinates me how the old medical practices did more harm than good."

"I see your point," Cerdian murmured, reading a passage. "Bleed the lone victim in the house and accidently sentence the rest of the family to death…way to make a profit."

"I'm told it's a medical journal of some kind," the vendor informed them after she finished helping out another customer.

"It's a printed copy of the diary of a doctor who was treating plague victims in sixteen thirty in Milan, Italy," Chris told her.

"You can read it?" she asked hopefully.

"We both can," Chris replied. "It's in Latin."

"My name's Becky," she said reaching out her hand to Chris.

"Chris," he told her, shaking her hand.

"I'm Ian," Cerdian added when Becky shook his hand.

"I have two other books that might be in Latin that I have no idea what they are. I'll give you a discount on that one if you can tell me what they are," Becky offered.

"Deal," Chris grinned. Becky found one of the books and handed it to him, Chris passed it on to Cerdian and accepted the second one from Becky. "I have a cautionary tale of thumbing your nose at the church," Chris said after a few moments of reading. "This might be a fictional slam at Martin Luther and the Reformation," he added, flipping through the book. "It reads like it would be."

Cerdian chuckled. "Be grateful you handed this one to me then, country boy," he teased. "I have a rather steamy romance novel set in Ancient Rome."

Chris glanced at the book Cerdian had and blushed. "Holy…yeah you do."

"Really?" Becky asked.

Cerdian flipped to several different pages and confirmed that it was. "This is pure filth and I'm taking it," he grinned.

"Where did you get these?" Chris asked Becky, handing the one she'd given to him back to her.

"My friend's great aunt was a book collector," Becky explained. "When she died, my friend had an appraiser go over the collection. These are all reprints that the appraiser wasn't too interested in."

"And you offered to sell them here?" Chris surmised.

"What better place than a college campus, right?" Becky replied. "So you guys are taking those? I'll give you a two for one deal on them," she added. Cerdian handed his half of the cost to Chris and went back to reading. "You said this was a story about what happens if you piss off the church?" she asked, grabbing a notepad and pen.

Chris took the book and opened it to the front. "Yeah, right here," he said and translated the title page for her.

"Thanks a lot," Becky grinned. "Enjoy the rest of your day," she added as they thanked her and moved on.

"I know I'm going to regret this, but what exactly are you reading?" Chris asked.

"A historically inaccurate fictional account of a Roman orgy," Cerdian replied, having started at the beginning.

"How historically inaccurate?"

"Well for one, the Rosalia festival, which this is set in, was the Roman equivalent of Dia de los Muertos," Cerdian chuckled. "Not a rose infused fertility festival, as the author describes it."

"Okay…the Roman day of the dead mistaken for…yeah, I'll pass," Chris laughed. Cerdian closed the book and asked Chris to put in the bag with the one he'd bought.

"Says the guy who got the damning self-account for one hell of a malpractice lawsuit," Cerdian scoffed.

"Did they even have malpractice lawsuits back in those days?" Chris wondered aloud. They wandered around a little while longer and not finding anything other than the street market to peak their interest, decided to head back to the city. On the train, Chris took out the book he'd purchased and began reading. "I could use this for my final," he murmured after a while.

"Your final?"

"Yeah. We have to find some historical account on a subject and write an editorial on it," Chris explained.

"Quack posing as doctor, wipes out the entire population of Milan," Cerdian stated. "That is an attention grabber," he agreed a moment later as Chris slid down in his seat, howling in laughter.

They got off at the first stop in San Francisco and began walking back to the Tower. "Y'know, we haven't eaten our way through the Ferry Building in a while," Chris said.

"Maybe suggest it to the others tomorrow?" Cerdian replied.

They were about half way to Pier 39 when a flurry of fire red hair and speed force grabbed them both in a hug. "There you two are!" Iris exclaimed.

"How was China Town?" Cerdian asked as he noticed the others heading towards them.

"Great, but we couldn't decide on what to have for dinner. Then Lian suggested the Ferry Building, so we're heading there now," Iris explained.

Chris and Cerdian shared a look and laughed. "About face," Chris said.

"What am I missing?" Iris asked.

"We were just talking about how it's been a while since we've been there," Cerdian told her.

"Indeed it has and we need to introduce Sin to the Palace of Pork," Jai stated, as the others joined them.

"Where did you two go?" Lian asked, taking one of Chris' arms in hers.

"Berkley. I hadn't been there in a while and Ian was game to tag along," Chris replied.

"Find anything of interest?" Damian asked.

"A reprint of a trashy seventeenth century novel set in Ancient Rome," Cerdian smirked.

"Oh God," Chris laughed.

"I'm intrigued," Damian continued. Cerdian told him about the book and they laughed.

"The Romans had a Dia de los Muertos?" Milagro asked.

"That the author mistook for an excuse for one of Rome's more infamous debaucheries," Cerdian smirked.

"Damn I knew the Romans were freaks, but Jesus," Milagro blanched.

"Wasn't it during the Neptunalia that they were more likely to have sex parties?" Sin asked. "What? They had a good set of encyclopaedia at the monastery," she defended when she got several odd looks.

"Any of the festivals honouring water deities were, but Neptunalia was the big one," Cerdian replied. He rolled his eyes when his teammates all turned to look at him. "We don't have Roman festivals in Atlantis," he sighed.

"Too bad, I was about to book a ticket," Jai chuckled. Cerdian shot him a dirty look.

"Behold Cynthia, the best kept dining secret in the city," Damian proclaimed as they got to the Ferry Building, holding the door for everyone.

"You know…if I didn't know any better, al Ghul, I'd think you were excited," Sin teased. Damian rolled his eyes and playfully shoved her through the open door.

"How are we doing this?" Iris asked, rubbing her hands together.

"How about we get everything and take it over to the park? It's nice out this evening," Jai suggested.

"So this is like a gourmet shopping centre, food court type thing?" Sin asked as they hit various places to build their meal from.

"Yeah and hardly anyone knows it's here," Iris grinned. "They all think it's just the hub for the ferries…which it is, but still."

They gathered everything they wanted and took it to a small park across the street. Milagro used her ring to make a picnic blanket and they all dumped the food in the middle. Chris handed Milagro the book Cerdian had bought and she flipped it open. "This is all in Latin," she stated. "Ay…Dios…mio," she gaped a moment later. Her ring was translating it for her. "Is that even possible?" she asked.

Cerdian leaned over and she pointed to the part in question. "I'm pretty sure it is," he replied. Milagro clapped the book shut and blushed profusely. Damian held a hand out for it and she gladly handed it over.

"You were right about the historical inaccuracies," Damian commented after reading a few pages. "Interesting read though," he added, handing it back to Cerdian.

"He's not borrowing that when you're done," Iris stated.

"Actually," he smirked. Iris' eyes grew wide and she began to blush as Damian whispered in her ear what he'd just read.

"He's totally borrowing that when you're done," Iris squeaked. "Seriously?" she directed at Damian. He nodded.

"T.M.I." Jai groaned and fell onto his back while covering his ears. "There's some shit I really don't need to know about."

"You got a book too," Sin said, noticing the bag next to Chris.

"Yeah this one's more Tam's speed," he grinned. Damian cocked an eyebrow and accepted it from Chris.

"A doctor's personal journal about treating victims of the Black Death in Italy," Damian murmured and began reading.

"That's totally Tam's idea of a good story," Lian agreed.

"How on Earth did anyone survive back then?" Damian asked, shaking his head and handing the book back to Chris.

"God only knows," Chris chuckled.

They finished eating and began the journey north again to the pier. At the Tower, they drifted off into smaller groups and Chris followed Cerdian down to the Atlantean's quarters. "Make yourself comfortable," Cerdian offered, removing his jacket and tossing it onto the bed. Cerdian went to his dresser and retrieved a small box. "Yes! That's electrum," he said, handing over a small coil of fine wire.

"So it's silver with a golden tinge to it?" Chris remarked.

"I suppose your eyes would be able to pick up the gold," Cerdian shrugged. He reached for his jacket and retrieved the fire opal he'd purchased. Taking two more out of the box he lay them out before him.

"You already had some?" Chris marvelled.

"I told you, I go to Juarez a lot," he chuckled. "I was just missing a third one for the piece I have in mind and we found it today."

"Where did you learn to do that?" Chris asked a while later as he watched in fascination while Cerdian wove the electrum wire around the three stones.

"Part of my magical training," Cerdian replied. "There. Done," he said a while later and held it out to Chris.

"Kryptonians and magic don't mix well," Chris said, shrinking back a little.

"I haven't charged it with its magical purpose yet, so you're safe," Cerdian assured him. Chris accepted it and offered to use his heat vision to weld the wires together, making the piece stronger. "I was hoping you'd say that," Cerdian grinned as Chris focused on the piece.

"That'll hold tight now," Chris said. He blew on it gently to cool it down and returned it to Cerdian. "So what are you going to use it for?"

"One of the old women I hit up regularly in Juarez for stones and crystals, asked me to make a protective charm for her," Cerdian replied. "This will render her unnoticeable to the seedier elements of the city and keep her safe. In exchange she's giving me free pickings at her stall for a while."

"That's really nice of you," Chris commented.

"Considering that she's one of the ones I find a lot of good stuff from, I couldn't pass up the chance," Cerdian chuckled. He tucked the piece away into the box and returned it to his dresser. "I had fun today, thanks for the invite," he said when he returned to the bed.

"I did too," Chris admitted. "We should do that more often." He yawned suddenly. "Excuse me."

"I know what you mean," Cerdian chuckled, stretching out his back. They bid each other good night and Chris headed for his room. Cerdian picked up his book and began reading. "Did this guy even do his homework?" he mused and flipped to the title page. He laughed when he saw that it had originally been written by a Christian monk.


	43. Quip While You're Ahead

Quip While You're Ahead

_A/N: Pure blatant unabashed stupidity ahead. Historically the Teen Titans were known for their sharp wits and sharper tongues. This bunch are no different. Sometimes it really does not pay to get out of bed if you have naughty intentions in the City by the Bay. These are snippets I couldn't turn into full chapters._

_**Dragora.**_

They had gotten word that someone was terrorising the Castro District. When the team arrived, Green Lantern summed up their initial reaction in three words. "Ay…Dios…mio," she gaped.

"Pretty much," Robin agreed. "The Erotic Exotic is in October, right?"

"Halloween," Arsenal replied.

"Fremont Street Fair?"

"We just missed it two weeks ago," Sin provided.

"The Hooker's Ball is on Halloween as well, correct?" he asked.

"Yup."

"Right," Robin murmured. "We officially have our first sexually themed nutjob."

The woman in the very revealing pleather dominatrix costume turned and spied the team. "So the Teen Titans have come to feel the sting of Dragora's whip," she purred, cracking her whip for effect.

"Dragora?" Kid Flash asked.

"Yup," her brother answered.

"Seriously?"

"Uh-huh," Firewall murmured. "Dude," he said to Superboy. "Take a peak, hole or pole?"

Superboy shook his head and focused on Dragora. "Hole…disguised as pole…and wow that's a lot of silicon," he murmured.

"Duh," Green Lantern scoffed. "The boob job's obvious. How does she move with all that bouncing round?"

"Good question," Surge agreed. "Disguised as?" he asked Superboy.

"She's wearing a strap on under that," Superboy supplied.

"We officially have our first kinky as fuck sexually themed nutjob," Firewall grinned.

"Good tuck job," Robin commented. "Say anything and I harm you," he added to Firewall who had made a stifled laughing sound.

"Hey, I have a question," Sin piped up, pointing to Dragora. "Who's your surgeon?"

Arsenal quickly played along. "Yeah. Being Asian and naturally lacking in the rack department, we'd like to know."

"Granted we wouldn't go for quite as top heavy, but that's good work," Sin added.

"God, I love you two," Green Lantern laughed.

"If you children are quite done," Dragora threatened, marching towards them slowly. "The time for games is over."

Robin rolled his eyes and sighed. "Eenie, meenie, miney," he finished reciting the rest of the rhyme in his head as he pointed to his teammates individually, ending with Surge. "The blood trick should suffice."

Surge stepped forward and held his hand up towards Dragora. "Your magic won't work on me, beautiful…" Dragora dropped like a stone as Surge shunted her blood backwards.

"Yes it will," Surge smirked.

"That stunt will never stop being cool," Kid Flash laughed.

"I know," Surge purred.

"Lantern, subdue our friend here before she comes to. The rest of you attend to any victims until the authorities arrive," Robin ordered.

"I dunno, Ese…she might like it," Green Lantern mused as she used her ring to cuff and bind Dragora.

"Sadly, that is a possibility," Robin concurred.

"And you wonder why Dad freaks out because you moved to Gotham," Firewall teased his sister.

"Asshole." Kid Flash smacked him before racing down the street to a wounded couple leaning against a building.

_**You Picked the Wrong Girl.**_

Iris, Lian, Milagro, and Sin had decided that the Tower was too full of testosterone and escaped into the city. "Hey, Aunt Dinah's birthday's coming up. We should get her something," Lian suggested.

"We have to find at least one old age related gag gift for Mom," Sin stated.

"Definitely," Lian agreed. "A box of granny diapers?"

"Crude but simple," Sin murmured. "I like it! Let's do it."

"You two are horrible!" Iris laughed.

"If I did that to my mom, she'd kill me," Milagro added.

"Oop, junk food," Iris exclaimed as they passed a store front. She slipped inside and went in search of calories. Lian and Milagro sighed and paused to lean against the wall to wait for Iris. Sin chuckled as she walked a little further down to look in the shop window. A gang of street thugs rounded the corner just then and spied Sin.

"Hey baby," one them taunted. Sin huffed and rolled her eyes. "Wanna have a good time?"

"Want to grow a set first?" Sin retorted.

Further down the sidewalk, Lian and Milagro watched with interest. "Oh I've been waiting to see this," Milagro chuckled.

"It's a show, believe me," Lian smirked. She got the stopwatch on her watch ready to time Sin when she finally struck.

Iris popped out of the store just then and saw what was happening. "Popcorn?" she offered, doing the only sensible thing she could and joined Lian and Milagro.

"Gracias." Iris held out the bag and Milagro snagged a large handful.

"Don't mind if I do, Zippy," Lian added, taking a handful for herself.

Iris caught movement out of the corner of her eye and held out an arm to stop a large black man coming to Sin's aid. "Trust me, you'll only get in her way."

"Uh?"

"She's a black belt in everything," Lian stated. "No, I'm serious. She is a black belt in everything," she added to the man's sceptical look.

"Popcorn?" Iris asked offering him the bag.

"Um, thanks," he said, taking a handful for himself. "You're her friends and you're just watching?"

"We're no slackers in self-defence and we'll only be in her way. It's safer over here, Ese," Milagro grinned, tossing a piece of popcorn into her mouth.

"We taking bets on this?" Iris asked.

"Nah," Milagro replied.

"By the time we figure out the time frame, she'll have finished," Lian shrugged. Iris thought about it for a moment and decided that Lian was probably right.

"One, two, three…eight to one, bad odds," Milagro said.

"Yeah, they're fucked," Lian agreed, holding her finger on the start button of her watch.

"You talk tough for a little thing," another thug told Sin.

"Yeah, but unlike you, I can actually back it up," she smirked. "So how about this boys? I give you to the count of five to turn around and walk away…keeping what tiny scrap of dignity you have left, intact. Better yet…run."

"Hey, fuck you bitch," the head thug growled and took a swing at her.

Sin caught his wrist easily. "Thanks," she purred, and proceeded to take out the entire gang.

"Holy shit," her would-be saviour said next to Iris.

Lian stopped the timer on her watch as the last of the thugs hit the ground unconscious. "New record, twenty three seconds," she proclaimed.

"Damn, I only beat it by a second?" Sin pouted. "Thank you for heeding my friends and staying out of the way," she added to the man staring at her slack jawed next to Iris.

"Are you okay?" he stammered.

"Yup," Sin smiled. "Thanks," she added when Iris held out the popcorn to her. "Oh man…" Sin groaned. "I broke a nail on one of those assholes. I just got them done too, damn it." She held up her hand to show the damaged nail of her otherwise perfect manicure.

Milagro took her hand and studied the damage. "We'll get it fixed later."

Sin sighed. "I guess so," she muttered. "Thanks again," she added to the man before they all turned to leave.

"Yeah bye," he mumbled as they bid him goodbye.

"What happened?" A police officer asked the stunned black man a few seconds later.

"They were hassling this little Chinese chick and she opened up a Godzilla sized can of ninja whoop ass on them," the man stated.

"Where is she now?" the officer asked.

"Her and her friends…where'd they go?" he replied, scanning up the street for the four girls.

"Can you describe them?"

"There were four of them…one of them had popcorn."

Around the corner and a block away, the girls ducked into a nail salon. "Oh, how you break it, Honey?" the tech asked Sin as she began fixing the broken nail.

"Beating the crap out of a bunch of morons," Sin replied.

The tech clicked her tongue and gave Sin a withering look. "You break more nails that way," she muttered.

"Hey, it's job security for you," Milagro teased. The tech reached over and playfully smacked Milagro's hand.

"Amy, you would have wanted to kick their asses too," Lian snorted as Sin laughed.

"Yeah and you three just watched, huh?" Amy retorted.

"Duh…popcorn?" Iris grinned, holding out the bag.

"Thanks. Just put it here," Amy replied, indicating the corner of her worktable. Iris set the bag down and said that Amy could have the rest. "Okay, I no want to see you for a week," Amy scolded Sin, as she had Sin place her fixed nail under the dryer.

"You know I can't make that promise," Sin groaned. Amy picked up the popcorn and leaned back in her chair.

"No break any nails for a week," she reiterated between bites.

Sin slumped a little in her chair. "I'll try, but I'm not making any promises." Amy gave her a look. The dryer stopped and Amy set the timer for three more minutes.

"One week," Amy said. She had a mischievous grin one her face, though. "That goes for you too," she added, pointing at Lian. Lian held her hands up to show off her intact manicure. "Let me see?" she told Sin. She gently rubbed the fixed nail and declared it finished. "You four alone always pay for my trips home to Vietnam," she playfully scolded.

"We aim to please. Gracias, Amy," Milagro chuckled, paying for the fix.

Sin thanked her in Vietnamese and bowed to her. Lian, Iris, and Sin paused at the small shrine in the shop and lit incense sticks, putting them in the burner and bowing before it before leaving with Milagro. "See you next week, Amy," Lian called out.

"Or sooner," Iris added. Amy just rolled her eyes and watched the four girls as they walked away laughing.

_**Lights Out.**_

"Since when does Doctor Light have a goon squad?" Firewall asked, elbowing a massive assailant in the throat and taking him out.

"Since he qualified for the geriatric villain's retirement home some years ago," Arsenal growled, deflecting a knife attack with her sai.

Superboy smacked an assailant to the side and sighed. "How do we end up in these situations again?"

"By having powers or a really neat skill set, that makes us think that the superhero thing is a good idea," Sin smirked, easily holding her own against two street fighter types.

"Oh yeah," Superboy chuckled.

"And for most of us, there is the whole legacy thing to consider," Robin added, ducking a punch and swiping his leg out to kick at one of the goons. "Sin, quit toying with them." Sin took out her opponents and made a face at Robin before finding more targets.

"This is true," Surge agreed. He pulled water from a nearby fountain and bound his opponent with it. "I can cocoon you in water completely, if you wish," he purred. The thug shook his head frantically and Surge let a slow smile curl the corner of his mouth. "Very well then." He hurled the thug and water towards a wall of shrubs.

"How long has this pendejo been a pain in the ass?" Green Lantern asked. She was taking on Doctor Light's light canon with her ring.

"Well before any of us were born," Kid Flash replied. She'd been left to round up the fallen gang members. Doctor Light started screaming garbled epitaphs at them and brought the team to a pause. "Okay…Light's gone gaga."

"Cheshire!" Light screamed, looking right at Arsenal. "Cheshire, help me!"

"How about retiring already?" Arsenal suggested, cautiously moving closer to Doctor Light.

"Cheshire you insolent cow!" Hero and villain alike froze on the spot and stared at Doctor Light.

"Excuse me?" Arsenal snapped, jamming her fists into her hips.

'Ooo' and 'uh-oh' sounded throughout the Titans and several of the thugs. "This could get interesting," Superboy mused.

Light belittled Arsenal again, still thinking she was her mother. "This just got interesting," Surge chuckled, folding his arms across his chest. The remaining thugs left standing all came to a unanimous decision and surrendered.

Light's ranting became even more delusional and Arsenal decided that enough was enough. "Okay…lights out," she muttered, cracking her knuckles and marching the final few steps towards Doctor Light.

"About ti…wait, you're not Cheshire," he murmured as realisation crept into his clouded mind.

"No shit, Sherlock." Doctor Light crumpled into a pile as Arsenal's foot connected with his jaw.

Firewall put a hand on her shoulder to hold her in place. "Decrepit old bad dude is down…be nice." Arsenal shot him a look over her shoulder.

"You might want to get them out of here," Kid Flash smiled sweetly to the head of the police forces standing by. "For their own safety," she added a moment later.

The Titans paused as they considered how to calm Arsenal down enough to suggest that they were done and could leave. Sin came to the rescue. "I know what'll work." She strolled over to her niece and smiled broadly. "Let's go into China Town and play with the Triads."

"Good idea," Arsenal agreed. The two slipped away and Robin looked over to the head of the police.

"Give them twenty minutes." The officer nodded in agreement. "Mason and Truett," Robin added, figuring that the two would go straight to Triad headquarters.

"Yeah, I kind of figured that's where they're going," the officer nodded.

_**How Are You Doing That?**_

"Gotham, we have a problem," Jai stated as he marched into the control room to find Damian.

"Besides your dependence on melodrama?" Damian teased.

Jai ignored the jibe and continued. "In this outfit, you and I are the undisputed gods of Irate Avians…correct?"

"Yes," Damian slowly murmured. "So?"

"Want to tell me how Superdork and Fish-breath have higher scores than us, AND have achieved all the goals save one or two each?" Jai asked.

"I beg your pardon?" Damian demanded, sitting up in his chair.

"I hacked the game file to see where everyone is on it, and those two are pounding the crap out of everybody," Jai told him, flopping into an empty chair.

Damian glanced to the side as he thought for a moment. "Neither one of them is much of gamer. How are they beating us…at our game I might add?"

"I'd like to know," Jai agreed. "You know that new upgrade that popped up yesterday?" Damian nodded. "Ian's completed it entirely. He just has a character part to get three stars on, and Chris has just one level left to get a three star score on."

"Interesting," Damian murmured, turning to the computer to locate the other two boys. "They're in Christopher's quarters."

Jai and Damian headed for Chris' room to find Cerdian lounging on the bed with a book of Atlantean sorcery and Chris at his computer, playing the game in question. "Gentlemen, a word please," Jai said.

"Existentialism," Cerdian replied, not looking up from his book.

"Indefatigable," Chris said at the same time, concentrating on the game.

Jai blinked and looked to Damian. "I have no comeback for that."

"That was clever," Damian admitted.

"God damn it," Chris swore.

"Yeah, that's a tricky one," Cerdian admitted. "It took everything, I had not to pump my computer full of bioelectricity when I kept missing it."

"I'll bet," Chris muttered. "What do you two want?" Chris addressed Jai and Damian.

"How are you two kicking our asses at this?" Jai asked. Damian slumped his shoulders and rolled his eyes. He wanted to take a more delicate approach.

"Yeah, pull the other one, Jai," Chris scoffed, not believing his friend. Cerdian gave a chuckle and murmured 'sure' under his breath. "You two are the undisputed kings of Irate Avians."

"I'm serious," Jai huffed. "We just got that download yesterday and you two are already way ahead of everyone else on it."

Chris held a finger up at Jai as he watched his screen. "Seventy three, seventy three…c'mon. Yes!" he cheered, standing out of his chair with his arms held up in victory.

"You got it faster than I did," Cerdian congratulated.

"Mastered the whole thing!" Chris cheered when the notices popped up on his screen. "Your turn, Ian," he added.

"Uhg," Cerdian groaned and set his book aside. Chris logged out and stepped aside so Cerdian could log into his game. "It's a lucky shot, right?"

"We're being ignored," Jai muttered to Damian as Chris explained the shot to Cerdian.

"How about we observe. Perhaps we'll find out how they've done it…what the hell is that?" Damian demanded when he saw a new version of a game character.

"The bane of my existence at the moment," Cerdian muttered. "Aim for the middle one?"

"Yup. And if they ricochet right, you'll take everything out," Chris replied.

"Oh," Cerdian murmured when he saw the shots ricocheting across the screen. "Damn it."

"Hold up, you can still salvage it," Chris exclaimed before Cerdian hit the replay. "Switch out to Ghost Devious, go through to the other side, and take out the platform…yeah like that," Chris said as Cerdian traced his finger across the screen.

"Ghost…Devious?" Jai murmured.

"Search me," Damian shrugged.

"Oh that's cool," Jai said when he saw the character in action.

"It has to hit a hundred and seventeen thousand?" Cerdian asked as they watched points add up. "A hundred and twenty thousand," he grinned when the tally finally stopped.

"Bastard," Chris teased.

"No…yeah they got married right before I was born, never mind," Cerdian retorted. "Now we have a month before the next update comes out?"

"Alright, my turn," Damian stated. "How do you both play this that lets you fly through it so fast?"

"Master each level before moving onto the next one," Cerdian replied as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.

"Master it?" Jai asked.

"Three star high score, find any treasures or maps that might be lurking in the bushes, that sort of thing. And then go to the next one," Chris expanded.

"Why? What do you two do?" Cerdian asked.

"Go through it and then go back for everything," Damian explained.

"Move," Jai instructed Cerdian. Cerdian logged out and Jai took a seat. He went into the master file and completely deleted his progress on the new update before logging in. "Damn," Jai muttered as he hit replay for the third time.

"Are you two purists at this thing?" Chris asked

"I beg your pardon?" Damian replied.

"Do you insist on completing a level with the characters provided…?"

"Or are you willing to cheat?" Cerdian finished for Chris.

"Do tell?" Damian suggested.

"Hit replay," Cerdian instructed. Jai did and Cerdian pointed to an icon. "Now swap out for…you really should get an infinite number of these two," he suggested as he looked at Jai's available characters. "Swap out for him." Jai did and Cerdian held his finger to the screen. "Now while aiming him to these two down here…shoot the explosives up here."

"Whoa," Jai stated when the move worked. Jai went into the game store and spent some of his gold on the two characters Cerdian pointed out.

"While you're at it, go to the bad guys," Cerdian suggested. "Okay you already have an infinite Anaki." Cerdian had Jai scroll through everyone available and frowned. "When you play the bad guys and get to Ghost Devious, get an infinite one of him too."

"Okay," Jai said and went back to the game. He played a few more rounds and saw that the method Cerdian and Chris employed did make it go faster. "Well. That answers that," he said to Damian, before logging out and getting up.

"Yes, thank you," Damian directed at Cerdian and Chris.

"Control room?" Jai suggested.

"Let's go." Cerdian and Chris watched Jai and Damian leave.

"Did you see how Jai wiped the thing?" Cerdian asked.

"I think so," Chris replied, cracking his knuckles and taking a seat. "There it is," he grinned and wiped his and Cerdian's progress.

"Race you," Cerdian smirked and grabbed Chris' laptop. Chris laughed and waited for Cerdian to boot up the laptop and open the game.

"This'll make waiting for the next update more entertaining," Chris said.

"By Palias, that's for sure."

_A/N: The boys are playing the Star Wars II version of Angry Birds. My friend and I were talking about this the other day and she wanted to know how I'd beaten the crap out of it so fast. My OCD tendencies demand I play it the way Chris and Cerdian do here. lol_


	44. Ring In The New Year

Ring In The New Year

_A/N: The kiddies take advantage of a ring one of them has to take a road trip of sorts…around the world to welcome in the new year in style._

It had started off as a discussion in the Justice Society's brownstone in Washington DC early on Christmas morning. A 'wouldn't it be cool if?' had turned into a furious planning session, with Damian and Jai working out the logistics and timing on Jai's wrist computer.

"New Year's is just a few days away," Iris mused.

"And your dork brother will be parked in front of the computer watching live feeds of the fireworks," Lian smirked. Jai shot her a look and flexed his fingers. He desperately wanted to give Lian the middle finger but he remembered his surroundings.

"Who wants to watch them on television though?" Damian asked.

"Well it's not like we can all take off and watch them in person...some of us can…" Chris trailed off and looked over to Milagro who slowly held her hand up with the ring on it.

"We can do it," she smirked. "Figure out a plan of attack and we're there." Jai and Damian shared a look before Damian vaulted over the back of the sofa to sit next to Jai who was powering up his wrist computer.

"We're starting in Auckland for sure," Jai stated, pulling up a second holo-screen to work on.

Doctor Midnight laughed as the boys planned the trip. "Doesn't that fall under 'abuse of powers?'" he asked.

"Proactive approach," Chris grinned.

"Yeah, you never know," Sin agreed.

"Doctor? European cities, any suggestions?" Damian asked.

"Hmm," Pieter Cross chewed the inside of his lip for a moment in contemplation. "Normally I'd let a little Norway bias creep in, but Oslo doesn't put on that much of a show. Paris or London would be your best bets," he told them.

"Mila and Ian were just in Paris," Jai pointed out.

"Two weeks ago," Milagro specified. Cerdian was fast asleep, using her lap as a pillow.

"London it is," Damian stated.

"You two have from Auckland to London planned already?" Jay Garrick asked. "Wow," he gaped, when he leaned over the back of the sofa and saw Jai's screen.

"Okay, here's a tough one," Jai murmured. "Gotham, Metropolis, or New York?"

"I have an idea," Lian declared. "Wake Ian up for a sec," she added. Milagro gently woke Cerdian up and Lian explained the plan and the dilemma in choosing where on the east coast of the United States they should go.

"Okay…what does that have to do with waking me up?" Cerdian murmured.

"You and Sin have never seen any of it, so you two get to decide," Lian said. "New York has the ball drop in Times Square. Metropolis blows up the waterfront. And Gotham utilises the Wayne Tower as the focal point for the fireworks in downtown."

"If we went to Gotham we'd be right in the middle of it?" Sin asked.

Damian nodded. "Everything will be going off around us."

Sin and Cerdian shared a look. "Gotham," they replied, pointing to Damian.

"Hell, I'm from Metropolis and I live in New York and I want to go to that one," Chris grinned, pointing to Damian.

"Gotham it is," Jai stated and entered it onto their list. "Then off to San Fran Frisky and we're done," he murmured.

"Hold up," Chris said. "If we're starting at the first big city in the world to welcome in the New Year, why not end at the last one to do so?"

"Honolulu and we're done," Jai stated, correcting the list.

Damian was copying the plan to his mobile and looked over at Milagro. "Tomorrow, you and I have some prepping to do." Milagro acknowledged him with a smirk and a salute.

The day after Christmas, Milagro met up with Damian in Gotham and they went to work. Damian's family owned real estate in several of the locations they'd decided on. Milagro conjured up the ship she had in mind and they headed for the largest city in New Zealand. Damian figured in the time for the fireworks and started the stop watch on his watch. Milagro zipped them off to Sydney next, and then on to the other cities on the list. At each stop, they waited for the time each display would last before heading to the next one. In Gotham, Damian pointed out that they could use the teleporter hidden nearby to get to the Tower in San Francisco. They arrived in Honolulu and Damian stopped his watch. Accounting for the various displays and the travel time, the pair had circumnavigated the world in just over four hours.

"Told you," Milagro stated. "We got this."

"I'm looking forward to New Year's this year," Damian agreed.

The morning on December thirty first, the team arrived in Auckland, New Zealand. They would rest up for the day and then proceed on their trip that night. Damian flashed his credit card when several of them realised they didn't own anything in white for their stop in Rio de Janeiro.

"You'd think we were all a bunch of goths or something," Lian joked as they were shopping for beachwear.

"Well white isn't exactly stealthy," Sin mused.

"Good thing it's summer down here already," Iris murmured, holding up a pareo and debating on whether to go with a bikini or swimsuit.

They found what they needed and returned to the hotel Damian had booked them in. Iris said she wouldn't need as much sleep as the others and offered to wash everyone's purchases. They left the hotel an hour before midnight and headed for the waterfront. Milagro conjured up a yacht with her ring and they floated out into the harbour among the other boats waiting for the big show. The top of the Auckland Skytower began flashing a countdown and the Titans all shouted along with the voices around them. Midnight struck and the top of the Skytower erupted in brilliant light as fireworks began exploding in the air around it. The Titans hugged each other and welcomed in the New Year.

"Alright, break it up, break it up," Jai teased as Iris and Damian shared a kiss.

"Now let's see if they blow up that bridge in Sydney this year?" Milagro grinned. She concentrated for a moment and the yacht morphed into a ship and zipped them across the Tasman Sea to Sydney. She found a spot near the mouth of the harbour to land and set down in the water. Using her ring, she lifted the team into the air and they headed for a park Damian had spotted a few days earlier on their recon flight. It was across the harbour from the Opera House and just beyond was the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It wasn't as crowded as other spaces along the shore, but there were still a significant number of people milling around and partying.

"I'm starving. I'll be right back," Iris said and dashed off. She returned moments later with a bakery box and a huge grin. "The greatest fast food in the history of ever," she declared and opened the box for the others.

"Oh God, yes. Meat pies are to die for," Chris agreed. "The one thing I look forward to when I head down this way!"

"Ay Dios mio, these are amazing!" Milagro purred between bites.

"I could live off of these," Sin agreed.

"I like these better than the ones in Scotland that Dad introduced me to," Cerdian admitted. Iris smirked and grabbed Damian.

"Be back in a bit," she said and dashed away again.

"Drive by accosting?" Jai teased.

Damian patted down the pockets on his shorts and frowned. "She took my wallet and keys."

"What the hell is she up to?" Lian wondered.

"Who knows?" Jai shrugged, and polished off his meat pie. "We've got an hour and a half yet," he added checking his watch.

"Oh before I forget," Chris said and reached into his pocket. "Trust me…I'm doing you a favour," he told Cerdian as he handed over a set of earplugs.

"Thanks," he replied, slipping them in.

"Here you go," Iris told Damian, startling him with her sudden reappearance. She was holding out his keys and wallet. "And before anyone asks, it's a surprise," she added with a cheeky grin.

Jai rolled his eyes at the pair of them before realising the music being blasted around the harbour. "I love the tunes they play at this thing," he grinned. Lian began lip-synching to the song being played and before long, she and Jai were hamming it up. Sin howled in laughter and leaned her head against Chris' chest. The team danced along to the music as midnight grew closer.

"al Ghul dancing?" Sin teased, watching Damian and Iris as they danced to a song. "Who knew he was human?"

"Not me," Chris chuckled.

"I'm actually a bit disturbed by this," Cerdian added. "That's completely ruining the mental image of Damian I have." He clapped his hand over the one Milagro playfully smacked him with.

"Stop it," she scolded him playfully. Cerdian smirked and shook his head, suggesting that he had no intention of doing so.

"I wonder what this year's icon will be on the bridge," Jai mused as announcements rang out that midnight was almost on them.

Chris squinted and focused on the bridge and the unlit icon. "Looks like…uh, what do they call it? The rainbow serpent?"

"The what?" Sin asked.

"Mythological world creating deity in Indigenous folklore," Cerdian replied. "The Aboriginal peoples associated snakes and rainbows with the rainy season…the time of plenty."

"Not an association I'd make, but then I grew up in the Himalayas," Sin shrugged.

"I wonder," Jai murmured, taking out his mobile and prepping the camera. The countdown to midnight began and everyone counted down with it. "Oh my God, no way!" Jai gaped as the sky lit up.

"That's sheer brilliance," Damian exclaimed as fireworks went off in sequence along the harbour creating the image of the rainbow serpent.

Milagro felt Cerdian shiver next to her. "You okay?"

He nodded. "The iconography is mystical in origin and setting off the magical senses, that's all," he told her.

The show lasted for a solid fifteen minutes, culminating in a massive sequence of fireworks that recreated traditional Aboriginal art and a massive shower of gold sparks falling from the bridge. Damian heard Sin sniffle and wrapped an arm across her shoulders. "Cynthia?"

"That was amazing," Sin stated, wiping away tears.

"Wow!" Iris exclaimed. "They outdid themselves this year."

"Yeah, Bart's texting me and asking if I got it on video," Jai laughed, responding to the text. The crowds began dispersing and the team found a deserted area for Milagro to spirit them away to the beach where they'd left the ship. "Oh damn gang. We better bundle up for our next stop," Jai stated, checking the weather in Tokyo. "It's just below freezing there."

"That's why we brought changes of clothes," Damian said. Milagro landed on a rooftop away from the centre of town and they hurriedly changed into warmer clothes.

"Hola Tokyo! I've missed you," Milagro laughed once they exited the ship.

"You only get fireworks this time," Lian teased. Milagro poked her tongue out at Lian.

"Tokyo Tower, right?" Milagro asked, making a platform for the non-flyers. She found a spot near the tower to land and they quickly made their way to the crowds gathering for the fireworks show.

"Toky-whoa!" Sin exclaimed when they got to the tower. "Wow. What's their power bill like?" As soon as she'd said it, the majority of lights went out around them.

"Too much if the lights just went off," Milagro laughed.

"And that's why," Chris stated a moment before fireworks began exploding in the sky.

"Show off," Lian teased.

They watched the show in Tokyo and then headed for Hong Kong. There, Milagro changed the ship to a yacht and they floated in the harbour to watch as the sky was lit up. Sin remarked that a recurring theme she noticed was that places liked to use their major landmarks to launch fireworks from. "Are they trying to bring them down or something?" she laughed. The show ended with a massive barrage of fireworks.

"How do you say casa Wayne in Arabic?" Milagro asked, as she changed the yacht back to a ship and took off for their next stop.

"Burj al Salam," Damian replied.

"Que?"

"Peace Tower," Iris translated. "That's the name of the place his dad owns the top five floors of, in Dubai."

"We'll be pretty central for the spectacle they're planning there," Damian added.

"They're shooting for another record again, aren't they?" Chris asked.

"Dubai is never satisfied with previous successes," Damian shrugged. "We'll have about three and a half hours before midnight. So if anyone wants to take a nap, now's a good time to do it."

Milagro landed on the roof of an impressive skyscraper in the Emirate city a little while later. Impressive anywhere else except the city it was located in. "Okay, this is modest," Jai commented, craning his head back to take in the massive tower dominating the city skyline off to their left.

"The Burj Kalifa," Damian stated. "Still the tallest free standing structure on the planet. It's roughly three times taller than the Burj al Salam where we're standing on."

"I would not want to be at the top of that thing," Lian gaped.

"It's freaky," Iris admitted.

"You've been up there?" Jai asked his sister.

Iris nodded. "And I wanted down…bad."

"Anyway," Damian said. "Allow me to…what?" Damian was stunned to see the lounge area set up already.

"Remember when I took off in Sydney?" Iris asked. "Ta-da!" she grinned, sweeping her arm out to show off the arrangements she'd made on the rooftop lounge.

"Thank you my Treasure," Damian murmured, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and kissing her temple.

"And there's grub heating up down in the kitchen," Iris added.

"Chlorine or salt water?" Cerdian asked, focused on the rooftop pool.

"Salt water," Damian and Iris replied.

"I'm recharging," Cerdian purred. It was warm enough that several of the team liked his idea and went to change into their swimsuits.

"From here we'll be able to see most of the fireworks," Damian said when everyone was comfortable a little bit later.

Iris was standing near the edge of the roof, pointing out well known landmarks. "The Palm Islands are over there, then the World Islands. The Burj Kalifa, obviously and the Burj al Arab, are the main ones that get lit up," she explained.

"That really does look like a sail," Chris commented, admiring the architectural beauty of the Burj al Arab.

"You have one hell of a view up here," Sin commented.

"And starting this year, this will be our view for three months of the year," Damian told her.

"What?" Jai gaped. "This is gonna be your address for part of the year?"

Iris nodded. "Between May and July are the busiest times for international corporations to conduct their business in the Middle East," Damian explained.

"The top two floors are residential and the three below are office space," Iris added, pointing down.

"And Father managed to secure several floors of office space in that as well," Damian said, indicating the Burj Kalifa.

"Bruce has a contingent that operate here year round, but Damian will be taking over the annual business shift starting this year," Iris explained.

"Hey Irey," Jai smirked. "Does Wallace know that you'll be living here for part of the year?"

"Why do you think Daddy was pissy last month?" Iris laughed. "Mom finally told him to shut up." An alarm sounded on her watch and she grinned. "That's my cue, be right back," she grinned and zipped inside. "This would be lunch, wouldn't it?" she asked, returning with a large tray of appetisers. Several more trips at speed produced a full spread for them to enjoy. They spent the few hours until midnight hanging out and partying. Milagro managed to get a small nap in on one of the chaises next to the pool.

"Talk about overkill," Chris stated when midnight struck. They were spoiled for fireworks between all the displays erupting throughout the city.

"The sail thing's my favourite," Sin declared. The Burj al Arab had flares of colour racing up and down the unique spine of the hotel.

"So are we hanging here for a while or are we heading for London now?" Jai asked, once the displays ended.

"We're staying here for a while. London is another three hours off yet," Damian stated.

"And cold," Iris added.

"Works for me. Wake me up when we go," Jai said around a yawn. Lian like the idea too and curled up next to him for a nap.

"Is he sleeping down there?" Sin asked Milagro a little later. The two were sitting on the edge of the pool, dangling their feet in the water. Cerdian was lounging against the wall of the pool at the bottom.

"Si," Milagro chuckled.

"He is aware that a body at the bottom of the pool is unnerving if you don't know he's actually adapted for underwater breathing, right?" Sin chuckled.

"He knows. And he could care less," Milagro said.

"Dad said that it would freak them out when Ian's dad did it," Iris added, joining them at the pool. "Back when they first started the Titans. Garth was more dependent on being near water than he is now."

"A few months ago, we were at the tributary in the desert with the Posse and he did that," Milagro laughed. "Scour damn near had a heart attack, because he forgot that Ian's Atlantean and thought that he'd drowned."

Cerdian stretched out and floated to the surface. "That was funny," he said, lazily swimming to the edge.

"Did we wake you?" Iris asked.

Cerdian shook his head. "I was just snoozing down there."

Damian's watch went off and he groaned before shutting the alarm off. "We have an hour to get changed and head for London," he said, sitting up and stretching.

"I checked and London's sitting just below freezing, so make sure you're wearing the layers," Sin told them once everyone was awake.

They got dressed for the conditions and Milagro whisked them off to the English capitol. She landed them in Olympic Park and they headed for the river front. "The bulk of it is focused on the London Eye, right?"

"This is as far as we need to go," Damian smirked. "Those shadows on the river are barges that they'll be lighting fireworks from as well," he added.

They found a spot and sat on the riverbank close together for warmth. "Oh you're wonderfully warm," Lian purred, leaning on Iris.

"Speed force, it's a natural wonder…back off," Iris retorted, playfully shoving Lian. Several of them shared looks before leaning into Iris. "Damn it I am not a space heater!"

"Aw but Irey, you're usually so generous," Chris teased.

"And you're a natural furnace too, Superdork," Iris scoffed, elbowing Chris in the ribs. She snatched her arm back and cradled her elbow, swearing and muttering under her breath. "I hit my funny bone," she winced when Damian asked what was wrong.

"That's what you get for trying to elbow me," Chris laughed.

Iris looked to Chris for a moment before turning to Milagro. "Can you make kryptonite with that thing?"

"According to the Guardians, I would need to actually know the wavelength of kryptonite radiation for it to work," Milagro replied, holding up her ring. "Good thing we have that on file, huh?"

"Whoa, whoa, okay…I'm behaving," Chris stammered, backing away from Milagro. "Seriously?" he asked out of curiosity a moment later. Milagro made a green stone appear and Chris held his hand towards it. He pulled it back quickly and stared at it. "There's a perk of being born in the Phantom Zone," he murmured, flexing his fingers.

"What is?" Cerdian asked, as Milagro made the stone disappear.

"Kryptonite affects me, but not nearly as bad or as fast as it does other Kryptonians," Chris replied. "Remind me to never get on your bad side," he directed to Milagro.

"Dude that worked?" Jai gaped. He startled a moment later as explosions rang out and the sky lit up at midnight in London.

They watched the rest of the show before quickly retreating to the warmth of the ship. "How tolerant are you of kryptonite?" Damian asked, removing his jacket and sweater.

"Well Kon's more tolerant than Dad or Kara because of the hybrid Kryptonian/Human thing. And he's puking way before I am, around kryptonite," Chris replied.

"That's handy," Lian remarked.

"Don't I know it," Chris murmured. "Plans A through G, in the event my birth parents ever get out of the Phantom Zone, involve me taking advantage of my high tolerance to the stuff."

Sin sensed the conversation taking a turn that she was in no mood to contend with on the festive evening, so she changed subject. "Someone mind telling me why we need to change into stuff suited for swimming in…that's also white?"

Chris smiled in gratitude and gladly answered the question. "In Rio de Janeiro, New Years is seen as an opportunity to wash away the previous year's sins. So everyone dresses in white, as a symbol of purity, and goes for a dip in the ocean."

"It's a damn good thing that it's impossible for me to drown then," Cerdian chuckled.

"Then you're on lifeguard duty, because I have a feeling all of us have a lot to wash away," Iris teased. "I'd keep an eye on Jai in particular…" she laughed as her brother retaliated by tickling her senseless.

"She has a point," Lian stated. "Jai's an evil bastard."

As Milagro and Damian shared a look and shook their heads, Chris mouthed his thanks to Sin. She gave him a wink before going to break up the ruckus. Sin ended up getting involved when Lian mocked her for taking her responsibilities as Lian's aunt seriously.

"Blood. Backwards. Ringing any bells?" Cerdian playfully threatened. "Thank you," he said when everyone involved in the fray settled quickly into their seats.

Milagro fought the giggles as she piloted the ship south to Brazil. "Okay…the beach isn't completely packed yet," she murmured. She set down near the shore and converted the ship to a boat.

"Wow, people even wear white wigs to this gig," Chris remarked as he looked out to the crowd on the shore. He heard the sound of fingers snapping and glanced over to see that Cerdian had removed his appearance altering spell. "Yeah, you're not standing out here, Ian."

"Good." Cerdian dived into the ocean and disappeared into the depths. Chris decided to throw his usual reservation to the wind and took to the air. The remaining six shared a glance before all diving in. "There's boats full of people…sorry," Cerdian apologised when several of the team startled at his sudden reappearance. "Anyway, now that I have your undivided attention…as I was saying, there's boats all along the coast where people are swimming off from."

"Seeing as upwards of a million and a half people turn out for this, I'm not surprised," Damian said.

"So are you guys just going to hang out here, or are we mingling?" Chris asked, floating above them.

Cerdian used the ensuing discussion to slip underwater unnoticed. At the bottom he looked up and calculated his trajectory. Kicking off with his full strength, he launched up and out of the water, surprising Chris enough that Cerdian managed to drag him out of the air and into the water. "Since when are you the mingling type?" Cerdian asked after they both resurfaced.

Chris floated on his back and howled in laughter, holding up his hand to suggest that he needed a minute. "Since when I'm having a ball with my friends," he finally answered.

"Fair enough," Cerdian shrugged and disappeared under the surface again.

"Y'know, I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that he's a natural in the water," Jai mused.

"I have a knack for it," Cerdian said as he resurfaced. "Want to see for yourselves?" he suggested.

"I knew you were going to do that," Chris grinned and flew over to the boat. He returned a moment later with a re-breather. "Your magic will just screw me up," he added, putting the re-breather on and ducking underwater.

"Like you need to twist my arm?" Milagro retorted.

Cerdian had them form up around him and closed his eyes. Reaching out, his hands glowed softly as he cast the spell that would let the Titans breath underwater. "Exhale completely, then go under," he instructed. Milagro was already gone, as she'd done this several times before.

"Ever since I can remember, I've always wondered what it would be like to be like your Dad," Lian murmured in awe. "Thank you." Sin, Iris, Damian, and Jai all extended their thanks as well.

"You're all most welcome," Cerdian replied. "Welcome to my world."

"What's that weird hum?" Jai asked.

"The people on the beach," Cerdian replied. "If you listen closely you can hear the music too." He watched as the five of them strained to listen before indicating that they could all hear it. "Can you pinpoint where it's coming from?" Cerdian asked. They all pointed in different directions and Cerdian chuckled. "You're all wrong, it's coming from over there," he told them and indicated the direction with a nod.

"This is what it's like for you on the surface?" Damian asked.

"Exactly," Cerdian stated. "I've learned a couple of tricks to compensate for it, but my directional hearing is atrocious in air."

"How do you manage in battle?" Sin asked.

"Ear plug in my right ear," he replied. "I'm right handed, so blocking sound on that side also helps with my equilibrium, which is also slightly off out of water."

"All these years and no one has really bothered to understand what your Dad, Aquaman, you, or everyone else from Atlantis, deals with on the surface," Iris mused.

"Dad and Orin have had years of practice. So they don't need the little tricks I use," Cerdian told her. "Give it time, and I'll manage just like they do." Cerdian closed his eyes and began rocking his head in time with the music he could hear on the beach. "I love this song," he murmured.

"He's an ambient music fan," Milagro said, as she and Chris joined them. "So are you just going to hang there like a school of baitfish, or are you going to explore?"

"So where's the music…" Jai trailed off as Milagro and Chris both pointed in the correct direction.

"And before anyone says anything, I've had years of practice because of the diving thing," Milagro countered.

"Kryptonian," Chris shrugged. "You guys really need to check out the reef," he added, turning to swim away. Milagro's natural grace in water was evident as she easily caught up to him and passed him.

"I've always wanted to reef dive at night," Iris joked as they followed Chris and Milagro.

"Yeah, but did you ever think you'd do it like this?" Lian asked.

"I've had dreams like this," Damian said. "The reality far surpasses them."

"Likewise for me and wondering what the surface was like," Cerdian told him. "It wasn't until Poseidonis was returned to this realm that I got the chance."

"You don't remember being at the Tower in New York as a baby, do you?" Lian asked.

"My earliest memory is from when I was three," he replied. Sin gave Lian a puzzled look and both she and Cerdian figured out what Sin was thinking.

"He's technically younger than all of us," Lian explained.

"Time passes twice as fast in Atlan's dimension. So I returned to this one older than almost all of you, as a result."

"So technically, you're only about nine or ten?" Sin asked. Cerdian nodded. "Cougar," she taunted Milagro.

"I can take you out from a safe distance," Milagro playfully retorted, her ring glowing softly.

Sometime later they could hear a low thud pulsing through the water. "What the…it's midnight," Chris said, seeing the flashes of light above them.

"It is," Damian confirmed, checking his watch. They surfaced to see the last of the fireworks and watch as the massive crowd on the beach poured into the water as per the local tradition.

Cerdian removed the water breathing spell from the Titans and used his hydrokenisis to dry them off when they got back to the boat. Milagro transformed it again and they took off north for Gotham City. They had half an hour until midnight when they got to Wayne Tower. Milagro let the ship dissolve completely and they took their travel bags with them into the penthouse.

"How was Rio de Janeiro?" Alfred asked, leading them to the dining room. The butler had a spread of snacks and drinks waiting for them in the dining room.

"We missed most of it actually," Damian replied.

"Oh?"

"We were inspecting the reef off shore instead," Damian grinned. He explained to Alfred what Cerdian had done and how the team had spent the majority of the trip exploring the wonders of the prince's underwater realm.

"That was incredibly generous of you, Master Ian," Alfred told Cerdian. "You must be a little tired from all that exertion."

"With all the positive energy I've been bombarded with all night, I needed to get rid of some of it," Cerdian replied, taking a sip of water from his glass.

"Do I even want to know how you did that?" Dick asked, joining them. "Yeah…that'll never not be amazing," he agreed when they told them of their underwater adventure. "Your Dad's done that to me twice…I could get severe memory loss, and I'll never forget what that was like."

"Tim called," Barbara said as she wheeled into the dining room. "He's spending the night with Tam and Teejay at her parent's place."

"Tam figured the fireworks might be a bit much for Teejay," Cassandra added, walking in behind Barbara with Jason.

"Ohh. Yeah I guess the squirt might be a little overwhelmed," Jason shrugged. "Hey gang," he greeted the Titans.

"Alright spill, how's your night been so far?" Barbara demanded of them.

"I'll do one better," Jai grinned and handed her his mobile. She opened up a file he had marked 2021 and downloaded it to her personal system.

"We'll watch it afterwards, the fireworks are going start in a few," Barbara said, handing Jai's mobile to him.

"This is what the view would have been like inside the Burj Kalifa?" Sin asked.

"Not quite as spectacular, but yes," Damian told her. Sin was seriously considering to tell Damian he was wrong when the fireworks started going off, but decided against it.

"If I may," Alfred spoke up after the show ended. "A toast to the New Year. May it bring you all joy, good health, and many more to come."

"Here, here!" The cheer went up.

"Alright, let's see this," Barbara grinned, fiddling with her tablet. She pulled up the file she had downloaded from Jai and put it through to the television. Pictures and videos of the various cities they'd visited through the night appeared on screen.

"How cold was it in Tokyo?" Jason asked, as a group shot of the team came up, showing them all bundled up for warmth.

"London was the coldest so far," Chris told him. "But Tokyo was pretty close."

"Wow…spoiled for choice?" Cassandra commented on the video Jai had taken in Dubai.

"Yeah for real, right?" Lian scoffed.

"Okay, group mug-shot and then we're heading off," Jai proclaimed, getting his mobile out. "You're on this side of the camera," he added to Alfred, who volunteered to take the picture. "We have a Mila." Milagro accepted the mobile and set it up to take the shot. A small flash from her ring and the mobile was supported on a tripod as she hurried over to get in the photo. Jai got several shots before going to retrieve his mobile. The team and Damian's family exchanged hugs and well wishes. Sin and Cassandra gave each other a respectable bow before laughing and hugging.

"A quick trip to the basement, and we're on our way," Damian said.

They rode a private elevator to a sub-basement and used the teleporter hidden in it to head to Titan's Tower in San Francisco. They had a few hours and took the time to shower and change, as well as repack their travel bags for their final stop of the night in Honolulu. Taking several blankets out to the beach, they settled in for the fireworks as midnight struck in San Francisco. "Oh cool! They used the Bay Bridge!" Iris exclaimed as fireworks shot into the sky from the massive bridge.

"They should take a few lessons from the organisers in Sydney," Milagro joked.

Iris zipped back inside with the blankets before returning to the beach as Milagro used her ring to make the ship that would take them to the Hawai'ian capitol. "The marina down there," Damian indicated as they flew in los over the ocean. Milagro put them down and they all followed Damian to a yacht in the marina. "Tamara's father was gracious enough to let us use it," he said. He piloted the craft to about half a mile from shore and set anchor.

"The Aloha Tower and Ala Moana Beach Park are where they put on the shows," Chris stated, indicating the two locations.

"And we're right in the middle," Iris grinned.

"Hau'oli Makahiki hou! A aloha a hui hou twenty twenty-one!" Chris declared a while later as fireworks began exploding in the sky overhead.

"Connor has had no influence on you what so ever," Lian teased him.

"You've gotta admit…it sounds cool in Hawai'ian," Chris grinned.

They hugged and kissed each other, welcoming in the New Year for the final time in their long evening of doing so. Exhaustion finally caught up to them and Damian took the yacht out to three miles from shore before joining the others and going to sleep.

The following morning, Chris woke to find that Iris was already awake along with Cerdian, who was just climbing back aboard the yacht. "There are whales everywhere around here," Cerdian stated.

"Yeah, it's humpback season," Chris told him. "They over-winter in the islands."

"I've seen spouts from about a dozen or so," Iris said as she scanned the horizon to spot more.

"We get a whale watching cruise with this package too?" Lian asked a while later when everyone was awake.

"Look! A mom and her baby!" Milagro exclaimed, pointing to two shadowy shapes nearby.

"Hold that thought," Cerdian grinned, and dived overboard. He returned a few minutes later to tell them that the baby was only a few hours old.

"Happy Birthday!" a few of them called out to the baby whale.

"Hopefully the first of many," Damian said.


	45. Growing Up Is Hard To Do

Growing Up Is Hard To Do

_A/N:_ _Another round of snippets that I couldn't cook up full stories for. Set when they were all still kids at some point. *gasp!* Scandal! A songfic within a fic…bad Mako. And Finally! I resolved an issue I've had with this thing since I started it back in 2011.  
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_**Iris – Graduation**_

Iris West knew the traumatic story behind Bart Allan's transformation from Impulse into Kid Flash. She thanked any deity listening that her own graduation had not been nearly as dire as Bart's. Pride had been the catalyst for Iris' transformation. Captain Cold had dismissed her as inconsequential in a fight. A mistake Iris gladly made Cold pay for.

"How come everyone thinks Impulse isn't a threat?" she'd asked her father.

"Well," Wally said, pausing for a moment. "Bart wasn't exactly the most attentive person back in his early days. I guess folks like Captain Popsicle remember that."

"And assume I'm just as impulsive?" Iris surmised.

"Thankfully you're nowhere near as bad as Bart was back then…but you do have your moments," Wally told his daughter. "Hey, you're still learning," he added when Iris got a thoughtful look on her face.

Iris barely registered anything else her father had to say as she was deep in thought. Looking down and seeing the colours of Impulse, she made a choice. Victor Stone could help her, she thought and raced west towards San Francisco. Wally sighed as he watched her vanish on the horizon. He remembered all too well his own frustrations and only hoped that Iris' outgoing nature would survive growing up a superhero. Hours later, Wally looked up at the gust of wind that whipped through the living room. Iris stood there, her fists resting on her hips and she was looking at him in determination. She'd changed up the patterning considerably but there was no mistaking in Wally's eyes, Iris was no longer Impulse. She'd taken up the mantle of Kid Flash.

"A little less yellow than when I wore that, but I like it," Wally told her.

"Thanks Daddy," Iris grinned and hugged him. She would be just fine Wally mused.

_**Cerdian – Loss**_

Garth regarded his young son curled in his lap and the waves of sadness flowing from him. Cerdian was only six and had already lost two important figures in his life. Garth was grateful that the boy couldn't remember his mother, or the valiant sacrifice she'd made to save him as an infant. He only wished he could ease the pain the boy was feeling now at the loss of the only grandfatherly figure in his life. Vulko was aged when Garth had first met him many years earlier. The loyal advisor reminded him of the Wayne family's faithful butler. Ageless, even as time relentlessly marched on.

After Atlan had saved Poseidonis by pulling the entire city into his personal dimension, the advisor had taken on the task of assisting with the young prince, as Garth dealt with the loss of Dolphin. Vulko had been kind and loving to young Cerdian. Garth would be eternally grateful to him for that. While Atlan and Garth focused on Cerdian's magical training, Vulko had made sure that the boy's royal training was second to none. Garth saw a shadow out of the corner of his eye and looked over to see Atlan. Shaking his head, he returned his focus to his heartbroken son.

Atlan had accused Garth early on of coddling Cerdian. Vulko surprised both men by backing up Garth and reminding the sorcerer that he really had no place to talk. He hadn't done a thing to raise his own son, and the one child he did look after, he did so in secret. Garth was a full grown man when he finally learned of Atlan secretly caring for him since being abandoned at birth because of the colour of his eyes. Atlan had reluctantly backed down and would later concede that Garth and Vulko had made a valid point. Cerdian blossomed in his education and development under the loving guidance afforded him.

Garth smoothed a hand over Cerdian's silvery hair as a darker thought came to mind. Perhaps Atlan had been right to a degree? Vulko had mentioned feeling a little off a few days earlier. The advisor had gone to bed later that night and never woke up again. The healers determined that his heart had given out. Cerdian had been nearly inconsolable since. Garth frowned. Atlan hadn't been right. Garth had never known any real familial sense of love until he was a teenager and had joined the Titans. He had vowed back then that if he ever had children of his own, they'd grow up markedly different than he did. So far he'd kept that promise and Cerdian had never known a want to be loved or acknowledged.

Atlan had stayed in the shadows, despite Garth's silent dismissal. Stepping forward, he walked over to the two in the oversized chair and knelt down to look Cerdian in the eye. Garth raised an eyebrow as Atlan told the boy that he had a new lesson for the young magi. Atlan wanted to teach him how to commune with the souls of the departed. Garth relented and let Atlan begin his lesson. Cerdian surprised them both with how quickly he mastered the skill. Confirming for Atlan and Garth that Cerdian would certainly rival the pair of them in sheer power when he was older. Within an hour, the tears of despair had become tears of joy as Cerdian felt the loving presence he'd known as Vulko's, touch his heart and mind.

After Cerdian had gone to bed that night, Atlan sought Garth out to apologise for his accusation years earlier. He also vowed to try his hardest to fill the space in Cerdian's heart, Vulko's passing had created. Garth shook his head sadly but smiled. He informed Atlan that he already had a place in Cerdian's heart. Years would pass before Atlan learned that Garth was right. The sorcerer recalled the tears of a small boy in the ones barely held in check by a nearly grown man as they prepared to send Poseidonis to its rightful place. Cerdian was clearly choked up at the idea of leaving the dimension he'd grown up in and the powerful sorcerer who had so freely taught all he knew to the eager young student.

_**Damian – The Lady In Red**_

_Lady in Red, song and lyrics by Chris De Burgh._

Thirteen year old Damian Wayne sighed in frustration. Dick had insisted on his presence at the party and Damian reluctantly agreed, mainly because Dick had made it impossible for him to refuse. The Titans were celebrating Christmas a week early at the original Tower in New York. Damian had ensconced himself into a corner and observed the goings on with a degree of boredom. He also decided that Roy Harper had poor taste in music, as the strains of a popular ballad drifted over the speakers. By the end of the song, Damian would swear that the song should be banned. He'd hold desperately to that opinion for nearly a decade. Originally it was because of sheer distaste during the first time he'd heard it and the experience that went along with it. Later it would be because the song haunted him.

_I've never seen you looking so lovely as you did tonight  
>I've never seen you shine so bright<br>I've never seen so many men ask you if you wanted to dance  
>They're looking for a little romance<br>Given half a chance  
>And I've never seen that dress you're wearing<br>Or that highlights in your hair  
>That catch your eyes<br>I have been blind_

Iris West, Impulse, the bane of Damian's existence. Damian watched as she drifted through the crowd, happily greeting people or pausing to talk with someone who had stopped her for a moment. Damian's teeth began to ache, he was clenching them so hard in frustration. She seemed to be the only being in the room with him and he hated the feeling. He decided instead to convince himself that her burgundy party dress clashed horribly with her pale skin and fire red hair. His treacherous heart however decided that the vision of Iris West in the burgundy party dress was quite possibly one of the most stunning things he'd ever seen.

_Lady in red is dancing with me  
>Cheek to cheek<br>There's nobody here  
>It's just you and me<br>It's where I wanna be  
>But I hardly know this beauty by my side<br>I'll never forget the way you look tonight_

Two years had passed since the Christmas party and Damian ground his teeth as the hated song began playing in the background. They were undercover and he and Iris were posing as a couple at a junior prom in Keystone City. Iris had chosen a red dress and was tugging at his hand, insisting on getting at least one dance out of him. Damian wanted to take his heart out and shoot it when it stuttered as Iris winked at him and told him to at least pretend he was having fun. She had no idea the torture he was enduring.

_I've never seen you looking so gorgeous as you did tonight  
>I've never seen you shine so bright you were amazing<br>I've never seen so many people want to be there by your side  
>And when you turned to me and smiled it took my breath away<br>And I have never had such a feeling such a feeling  
>Of complete and utter love, as I do tonight<em>

Paris France and the Louvre was the setting for a charity event that the Teen Titans were infiltrating. It had been five years and Damian no longer carried memories of distaste when that song came on. Instead it was a haunting pain. Try as he might, he'd began to fall for the beauty who seemed to instinctively prey on his secret weakness by wearing red. He enjoyed removing it from her later that night.

_Lady in red is dancing with me  
>Cheek to cheek<br>There's nobody here  
>It's just you and me<br>It's where I wanna be  
>But I hardly know this beauty by my side<br>I'll never forget the way you look tonight  
><em>

Damian Wayne shook his head in bemusement as he watched his personal assistant work the crowd at the company function. Again, Iris West had insisted on wearing red. And like the first time Damian had heard the song, he felt as though they were the only two people in the room.

"Since you are appropriately attired, shall we?" he murmured in her ear, holding his hand out for a dance.

Iris paused to listen and grinned. "I love this song," she said as she let him lead her to the dance floor.

"It's growing on me," Damian admitted.

_I never will forget the way you look tonight  
>The lady in red<br>lady in red  
>Lady in red<br>My lady in red  
>I love you<em>

"Jason's a goner, isn't he?" Iris smiled as she danced with him at another company event.

"Oh yes, he'll get his," Damian agreed. He smiled as Iris leaned her head against his chest and laughed.

The event coincided with their first wedding anniversary and Jason Todd couldn't resist the temptation. He'd known for years that Damian wasn't particularly fond of the song, though not why. And Iris did have a fondness for wearing red to company events. Jason had gone over to the disc jockey's booth and made the request for the song. He announced that it was their anniversary to the audience and said that he'd made a special request for the event. The congratulatory applause, the crowd, and everything else faded from Damian's mind as they danced. His world consisted of Iris, dressed in an elegant dark red sheath, and a song that he'd decided he liked after all.

_**Sin – Kiss The Rain**_

The old master shook his head ruefully at the young charges under his care. All but one were apprentice monks, devoting their lives to Buddha and his teachings. The lone girl was a refugee. The gifts of lethal grace that she wielded so easily were the source of her exile. The six children the master watched had thrown aside the more serious trappings of their young lives to be children, if only for a little while. And the girl had been the one to start it. A rare occurrence in the Nepalese highlands had caused the delight that the old master was now observing. Some of the summer monsoonal rains had managed to cross the Himalaya Mountains and pour down on the area around the secluded monastery. The five apprentice monks had considered the girl's request for all of two seconds, before joining her in the downpour to play.

"She's distracting them from their prayers," a young monk mused, sitting next to the old master.

"She's reminding us all, that we are only mortals and that life is a precious gift," the old master countered.

"How long has it been since we were blessed by the monsoons?" another monk asked.

"Before any of them were born," the old master mused. "Fifteen years, I believe."

"Longer than that, Master," one of the elder monks stated.

"I'm old," the master countered. "I'm lucky if I can recall last week." The small band of monks chuckled as they watched the youngsters in the rain.

Sin spied them and made a decision. Skipping over to the covered veranda the monks were on, she invited them to come into the rain. "Come and kiss the rain with us," she said. "As thanks for remembering that we rarely see it here."

"Silk doesn't take that long to dry out," the old master stated, and rose from his seat. In an isolated monastery, high in the Himalayas, studies were set aside, chores were put off, and prayers were embraced differently by the residents as they played in the rain.

Year later, Connor Hawke awoke to a dark summer morning in San Francisco. The rainy season ran from October to April. It rarely rained outside of those months unless the winds had brought the remains of distant storms to the area. He could hear the wind howling outside and went into the kitchen for tea. Sitting on the fire escape, he saw Sin with a look of pure contentment on her face. The harsh rain was blowing sideways but Sin revelled in it. He knew of a story she'd told him about experiencing the monsoon in Nepal as a child and smiled. Rain associated with strong summer storms had delighted her ever since. The current deluge was the remnants of a typhoon that had battered her native country a week earlier.

"Kissing the rain, little sister?" he asked from the open window.

"Mmhmm, care to join me?" she asked.

"Sure," Connor climbed out the open window and sat in companionable silence with Sin as they enjoyed the rare summer rain.

_**Jai – Hacker's Delight**_

Barbara Gordon-Grayson smirked at her computer screen as she watched her protégée take over the system of a Russian mobster in hardly any time at all. She was glad that Linda and Wally West had given her their blessing when she approached them about teaching Jai how to use his impressive computer skills for good. The pair had operated together as Oracle for nearly a year, as Barbara taught Jai everything she knew. She'd decided a while back that Jai was ready to branch out on his own and he had been offered a spot on the Teen Titans to be their full time computer expert. This was his final.

"Who did we donate to last time?" Jai asked over the comm as he got access to the bank accounts of the mobster.

"I can't even keep track half the time…UNICEF?" Barbara replied. "Yeah, because it was a child porn ring we busted."

Jai shuddered at the memory. "Since douchebag here likes to trade in ivory, how about the World Wildlife Fund?"

"I like animals," Barbara agreed and watched as Jai emptied the bank accounts first before making the anonymous donation.

"The only critters you're partial to, are robins," Jai teased.

"Ha, ha…watch it smart guy. I know a couple of robins who can hand your butt back to you," she retorted. "Good job," she said a moment later, as her screen showed what Jai had found in the Russian system. She pulled her hands back from her keyboard, remembering that she was testing Jai.

"Thanks," he beamed. "Big enough network…damn?" he murmured as he went into the various systems linked to the Russian one and hacked them as well.

Barbara leaned her chin on her hand as she watched Jai back out of the system, leaving no trace of his intrusion and then alerting Interpol under the guise of Oracle and presenting his evidence of the Russian mobster's illicit activities. She glanced at her clock and smiled. "Seeing as I gave two hours for you to pull this one off and you did it in forty four minutes, I'd say you passed," she told him. "Tim'll be happy to hear it."

"Cool, thanks," Jai replied. "Y'know…I've been thinking," he said as he and Barbara returned their system to scanning mode. "Oracle has always been just you. I was thinking of getting my own handle."

"Got anything in mind?" Barbara asked.

"I know it's cheesy as hell, but I was thinking, Firewall," Jai told her.

Barbara considered the name for a moment. "That actually suits you…really well," she told him.

"Thanks Babs! Oop, Mom's calling me, dinner's ready," Jai told her, before calling out to Linda that he'd be down in a minute.

"And I've got a bat signal in the sky," Barbara replied, glancing out the window. "So Firewall, same time next week?"

"You got it, Oracle," Jai replied. "Night!"

"Good night, Sweetie," Barbara replied, ending their session. She sighed for a moment and thought about how much she'd enjoyed taking Jai under her wing. "Oh you're being stupid, Babs," she said aloud a moment later. "It's not like the kid is dropping off the face of the earth." In the decades to come, criminal elements would fear the names Oracle and Firewall, as the pair would make sure to meet up online at least once a week to ruin someone's day.

_**Milagro – Pretty In Anything But Pink**_

Bianca Reyes expected to find Milagro at home doing her homework or watching television. Not sitting on the floor organising her older clothes into bags. "Going somewhere, mi hija?" she asked.

"The donation centre, if you'll take me," Milagro replied hopefully.

"That's an awful lot of pink," Bianca remarked when she saw what Milagro had decided to give away.

"Yeah, and I think I've outgrown it," Milagro stated. Bianca thought about it for a moment and realised that Milagro had started to shy away from girly colours to more gender neutral tones, especially green, white, and black.

"I'm not really a fan of pink either," Bianca murmured. Milagro pointed at her with a smirk and Bianca relented. "Okay, let's get this loaded up and we'll go," she said.

"Gracias Mami," Milagro grinned, standing up and hugging her. Bianca sagged slightly when she realised that her daughter was nearly as tall as her.

"So what brought this on?" Bianca asked a little while later as they headed for the donation centre.

"I'm thirteen and ready to start looking it," Milagro shrugged.

"I was about your age when I gave up pink stuff too," Bianca mused.

"What is it with Mexicans and only dressing their little girls in pink?" Milagro asked in all seriousness.

Bianca shrugged. "All Latinos do it, but yeah, you have a point. It is overkill isn't it?"

"Way to enforce gender stereotypes," Milagro scoffed.

Bianca shot her a look out of the corner of her eye. "You've been talking to Brenda, haven't you?"

"Maybe," Milagro sheepishly admitted. "Traci too," she added.

"Mmhmm," Bianca snorted. "So is there a colour you do like, that I should know about?" she asked.

"Green's cool," Milagro replied.

"Green is nice," Bianca agreed.

Milagro smirked. "Just watch, one day one of those rings will show up and I'll be really rocking the green!"

"Oh hell no," Bianca stated. "It's bad enough that your brother has that alien bug thing stuck to his spine. I don't need you with some alien ring stuck to your finger."

"It'll be fun," Milagro teased.

"Fun will be when I turn this car around and guarantee that you only ever wear pink again," Bianca threatened. Milagro held her hands up in a gesture of surrender. Nearly four years later, a smashed window made Bianca wish she had turned the car around that day.

"Really digging the green," Milagro grinned.

"I need a drink," Bianca muttered.

_**Chris – Daytrip In Honolulu**_

Lois had asked Connor and Kara to come along with her and Clark to watch over Chris for them while they attended a reporting conference. Connor gladly jumped on board when he found out that the conference was being held in Honolulu. He'd missed Hawai'i and couldn't wait for the chance to return to his old stomping grounds. Kara had heard the word Hawai'i and asked when they were leaving. The morning of their first full day in the islands, saw Chris watching on in bewilderment as Connor packed two backpacks with towels and other assorted things that he said they'd need.

"We're going to start at Diamond Head and then work our way back here," Connor said, as they left the holiday apartment they were staying in.

"Why's it called Diamond Head?" Chris asked, as they walked to the entrance of the crater a little while later.

"It got the name Diamond Head, because early Western visitors saw the quartz and calcite crystals lying around and thought they were diamonds," Connor explained as they hiked the trail leading to the rim. "Hey Kara?" he said as they came to a crumbling concrete edifice near the top. "You go first, and then Chris and I'll follow." Kara immediately saw why Connor wanted Chris in between them, as she reached back to help the boy navigate the steep narrow steps. At the top, Kara stepped out to a series of platforms that overlooked the whole southern end of the island.

"Oh wow!" she exclaimed.

"That's where we're staying," Chris grinned, pointing to a tall blue glass building.

"Yeah it is," Connor replied. "Okay we're cheating," he grinned a moment later. It was still early and no one else was at the top of the crater yet. Picking Chris up, he lifted off into the air, followed by Kara. They landed at a park on the edge of Waikiki and headed to their next destination. As they entered the aquarium, he laughed. "They have you on door duty Dr Hope?" he grinned as he paid their admission.

"For a minute or two," the woman replied, scrutinising Connor in an effort to recognise him.

"Kon El," he smirked. She shot a hand up to her mouth before dashing from behind the counter to hug him. "These are my cousins Kara and Chris," he introduced as they parted from their hug. "Guys, this is Doctor Carol Hope. She's a geologist with the university and one of the directors here at the aquarium. She's also the reason I'm a marine science geek," he added with pride.

"A pleasure," Dr Hope smiled as she shook hands with Kara and Chris. "I have the morning free, once the volunteer gets here. Would you like a guided tour for your cousins?" she offered.

"That would be the coolest," Connor grinned. "We'll wait for you in the gift shop," he added when he heard more visitors making their way to the entrance.

In the gift shop, Chris tugged on Connor's tee to get his attention. "She knows your Kryptonian name?" he whispered in Connor's ear.

"When I lived here, that was the only name I had, besides Superboy. I didn't get the Connor Kent name until I moved in with Ma," he explained. "And before you ask, I completely trust her," he added to Kara.

"I figured as much," she chuckled. Dr Hope joined them a moment later.

"The volunteer got stuck in traffic," she explained. "So shall we?"

"It's very generous of you to do this Dr Hope, thank you," Kara smiled as they followed the geologist out to the main aquarium.

"Please call me Carol. And anything for a former student of mine," Carol smiled. Kara gave Connor an odd look and he chuckled.

"That marine science class I told you about? Carol was one of the instructors," he stated. Kara nodded as she recalled him going on about a class he'd loved while living in the islands. "She's the first teacher I ever had that made learning exciting."

"Thank you," Carol smiled. "I honestly don't hear much in the way of critique from students."

"I can't think of anyone who would find the way you teach boring," Connor admitted. Once inside the aquarium, Chris began firing off questions to Carol. She'd answer them or gesture to Connor to see if he remembered anything from the class she'd taught him in. Carol smiled with pride when Connor would give detailed answers to Chris. "Hey it's my buddies," he chuckled as they came up to the shark tank. Carol chuckled as Connor took over and rattled off reams of information about the reef sharks swimming in the tank.

Keeping one ear tuned to what Connor was saying, Kara turned to Carol. "He loathes school most of the time…you must be one hell of a teacher." Carol just laughed. "I have to ask," Kara added as an afterthought. "You're a geologist?"

"Yes," Carol smiled.

"And you work here too?"

"My minor was marine biology in college," Carol explained. "And here in Hawai'i the two are very closely linked. Without the unique geology of the islands, you wouldn't have the rich biodiversity."

"Okay that makes sense," Kara replied.

"What's that noise?" Chris piped up as they were wandering towards the end of the aquarium.

"Some seals demanding lunch, if memory serves," Connor chuckled as he checked his watch.

"Would you three like to help me feed them?" Carol offered.

"May we?" Kara grinned.

"Yes please!" Chris added.

"Like I'm gonna turn that down," Connor chuckled as Carol glanced at him. Carol had them follow her to the inner workings of the aquarium into a large kitchen. She fetched a bucket she had prepared earlier and led the trio outside to the large tank housing a trio of Hawai'ian Monk seals. Connor had offered to take the bucket from her.

"Kon if you would," she stated. "I want to see if they remember you." As Connor grabbed a handful of fish, Chris and Kara watched in fascination. He made a clicking sound in the back of his throat and one of the seals came towards him. "The summer he was in my class he was also a volunteer here. The seals liked him a lot and I'm curious if they remember him," Carol explained to Chris and Kara.

"Sounds like they remember him," Chris observed as the seals barked and swam in front of where Connor was.

"That or lunch is really good today," Kara chuckled.

"Nope," Carol smiled. "They remember him." She began to explain some of the behaviours the seals were displaying and how that told her that the seals were happily greeting Connor.

"Hey Chris…Kara, come on," Connor called out. "Okay just let them sniff you for a bit and then you can start handing them fish," Connor explained as the seals showed interest in the two newcomers. "I think it's dawned on them that we're related…species wise at any rate," he chuckled.

"How does that work with you being half human?" Kara muttered softly so only he could hear her.

"Gar says that Kryptonians have a really unique smell that he can detect in his animal forms," Connor muttered his reply. "That's how he'll track me down if he needs to. I reek of Kryptonian according to him."

"Charming," Kara snorted, as she handed a fish to one of the seals.

"We smell different than humans?" Chris murmured.

"Very different according to Beast Boy," Connor replied. He and Kara howled in laughter as Chris held an arm up to his nose and took a deep breath. "Stuff that we can't detect that animals usually can."

"I was going to say…I smell like soap," Chris muttered.

They finished feeding the seals and followed Carol back into the kitchen area of the aquarium to wash their hands. Carol led them to the remaining exhibits at the aquarium and gladly fielded Chris or Kara's questions, with Connor chiming in every once in a while. They returned to the gift shop as the tour wrapped up and Chris grinned up at Carol. "Thank you for letting us feed the seals," he said as he hugged her.

"It was my pleasure. Did you enjoy the rest of the aquarium?" she asked. Chris grinned and nodded, adding his thanks for showing them around.

"We had a wonderful time, thank you so much," Kara enthused as she took her turn hugging Carol.

"Mahalo nui loa," Connor murmured as Carol wrapped him in a fierce hug.

"We were heartbroken here in the islands, when we heard that you'd been killed in action," she murmured into his chest.

"I got better," he replied and hugged her a little tighter. "Give me your email address, because I do miss you a lot," he said as they finally parted. Carol rattled it off for him as he entered it into his mobile.

Chris heard a small sniffle and looked up to see Kara blinking tears from her eyes. He took her hand and leaned against her as Connor gave Carol one last hug. "Thanks again," Chris said as they left the aquarium.

"Be safe," Dr Carol Hope murmured as she watched them leave. Connor and Kara turned and gave her a thumbs up and a wink to let her know that they'd heard her.

"I can see why you like her so much," Kara mused as they waited for the signal to cross the street. "So where are we going next?"

"We're getting lunch and hitting the beach," Connor replied.

"Zippy's?" Kara remarked, as Connor led them to a local eatery.

"This place reminds me of Bibbo's," Chris said when Connor held the door for them.

"Zippy's is the be all and end all of diner food," Connor sighed. "We'll get take out and take it to the beach," he added as they looked at the large menu above the cashier area. They decided what they wanted and Connor ordered.

"What is he saying?" Chris asked Kara, as Connor spoke with the cashier in the local English dialect.

"I have no idea," she chuckled.

"We have a ten minute wait," he told them when he re-joined them. "Let's find a table…what?"

"How come you were talking funny to her just now?" Chris asked.

"I was speaking in Pidgin, the local version of English," Connor replied. "It developed in the sugar fields back in the day, as a way for the workers from all over the world to talk to each other. Pidgin is mostly English with a lot of words borrowed from other languages like Portuguese, Japanese, and so on."

"Oh! It's like Creole," Kara stated. Connor nodded. Their order number was called and they went to get their lunch. "Here, you're in charge of these," Kara told Chris when he offered to help carry the food.

"Thanks," he grinned and accepted the bag with their drinks.

They got to the beach and found a spot to have lunch. "I got a little bit of everything for us to share," Connor said, as they laid out lunch on their towels.

Chris took the drink cans from his bag and frowned at the unusual word on the front. "What's this say?" he asked.

"Lilikoi, it's the Hawai'ian word for passion fruit…which is to die for, by the way," Connor replied. Chris agreed after taking a tentative sip and then downing the rest quickly.

"That's why you got a six pack of them?" Kara teased.

"Duh," Connor laughed.

It was just after five in the afternoon when they returned to the apartment. Clark took a sleepy Chris from Connor as Kara flopped onto the sofa. "You guys wore him out, what did you do?" Clark asked, after tucking Chris into bed.

"Daytrip down memory lane," Connor replied sleepily.

_**Lian – Breath Of Life**_

Roy Harper saw where Donna Troy was taking him and raised a curious eyebrow. "I thought Themyscira was no man's land?"

"Queen Hippolyta is making an exception in your case…at the request of the gods," Donna replied.

"Why can't you just tell me what the hell is going on?" Roy asked.

"You'll see soon enough," Donna assured him. "I was sworn to secrecy." Roy rolled his eyes but remained silent for the rest of the trip. Donna was grateful that he was minding his manners when they were greeted by Queen Hippolyta upon landing.

"Welcome to our home Roy Harper," the queen stated. Roy acknowledged her with a gracious bow of his head and thanked her for her welcome and gracious hospitality. "They are ready for you. Your quarters are prepared so you may change," she directed to Donna.

"Thank you my Queen," Donna replied. "Come on," she added for Roy. Donna led him to a palatial suite of rooms and had him change out of his regular clothes into a pair of loose fitting pants that had been laid out for him. She returned a few minutes later dressed in a simple white tunic dress. "You're being awfully quiet, are you okay?" she asked.

"I have no idea what's going on and considering where we are, I really don't want to run the risk of opening my mouth and shooting myself in the foot," Roy replied.

"Everything will be okay, I promise," Donna assured him. "Where we're going next, it is forbidden to have anything from the outside world," she added.

Roy looked to his left bicep where his bionic arm was attached. "Help me with this," he murmured. Donna held the arm as Roy detached it. Carefully she placed it next to his clothes on the bed and had him follow her to a temple near the shore.

Two hauntingly beautiful women were waiting for them in the temple. Goddesses, Roy assumed as his sharp eyes picked out the hint of an ethereal glow around them. "My ladies," Donna addressed the two. "As you have requested."

"I can't begin to imagine your pain," the elder looking of the two said, coming up to Roy and studying his face. She reached up and wiped away the glint of tears in his eyes. "With the blessing of Zeus, my daughter Persephone and I have been granted the opportunity to end your pain."

"You're Demeter?" Roy asked, his voice shaking slightly. She nodded and turned towards her daughter.

"I spend half of the year in the depths of Tartarus," Persephone spoke up. "As a result, I am all too familiar with the souls sent into my husband's care." Donna took hold of Roy's right arm and supported him as Demeter and Persephone moved to a shrouded table. "One of the souls in his care does not belong there…not yet."

Roy swallowed hard, fearing and hoping at the same time, where all of this was going. Demeter pulled back the shroud on the table and Roy sagged. Donna threw an arm around him to hold him up. "Oh God," he whispered. On the table, a perfect clay replica of his beloved Lian. Demeter leaned over the replica and breathed gently on the forehead. Roy's knees gave out entirely but Donna didn't let him fall as clay became flesh. Persephone picked up a glass vial filled with a glowing red substance.

"The soul of your daughter burns with passion for justice," Persephone murmured. "She had no place among the souls of Tartarus. Her time is still a long ways off," she added, pouring the red substance onto the still form of Lian. It dissolved into Lian's flesh and she gasped a deep breath of air.

"Lian?" Roy sobbed.

"She knows that you are here, but she knows not where here is or what is happening," Demeter told him.

"She will seem unaware, but do not be frightened," Persephone added. "She is adjusting to life again and in a few days it will be as though she never left."

Roy tried to voice his thanks but was unable to. Demeter stepped forward and took him into her arms, gently lowering him to the ground and cradling him as he wept his joy into her lap. "Thank you my ladies," Donna barely whispered. Like Roy her joy was overwhelming. She gratefully accepted the welcoming embrace of Persephone as she stepped towards the Amazon.

Two days had passed and Donna had a content smile on her face as she watched Roy watching Lian sleep. He looked more alive than she'd seen in some time and she caught herself tearing up occasionally. Roy had brought up to Donna that Lian's reanimation echoed closely the story he knew about Diana's creation. Donna informed him that Lian was simply brought to life, and not endowed with Amazon strength or immortality. She added that while the Fates had mistakenly taken Lian too soon, they were certain that life as an Amazon was not part of Lian's path. Roy was content with that. Donna admitted that the trip was one of healing. She'd asked the gods for his sake and they'd heard her. Roy thanked her the only way he knew how and kissed her deeply. Roy hadn't put his bionic arm on since removing it a few days earlier, and Donna swore that the deep scarring at the end of the remains of his left arm didn't look as severe as it had. A soft sigh from Lian alerted the two that she was waking up.

"Daddy?" Lian murmured.

"Hey Baby," Roy replied softly.

"Where are we?"

"Visiting with Aunty Donna," he told her.

"Hi Sweetheart," Donna greeted.

"Are we on Themyscira?" Lian asked. Donna nodded. "And they haven't shot him yet?" Roy's laughter echoed in the ornate chambers. Lian sat up and looked at her father, concern crossed her brow. "You look older…are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he assured her. "How are you?"

"It was dark and then…there was nothing. I don't remember," she trailed off.

"Don't worry about it," Roy assured her. Demeter and Persephone had told them that Lian would only have a gap in her memory and wouldn't recall her time in the afterlife. "I'll tell you about it one day."

It was Lian's twenty first birthday when she finally learned the whole truth. "So let me get this straight," she said, looking at Donna and Roy in disbelief. "I raised enough hell in the afterlife, that the gods said screw it and brought me back to life?"

"Pretty much," Donna replied.

"No wonder you were a mess," Lian murmured, hugging her father.

"That's all the in the past," he told her.


	46. Dead Man Walking

Dead Man Walking

_A/N: The Kiddies are witness to two of their mentors going through some pretty monumental life changing events._

Sin Lance was intrigued. Seeing as Iris was related to one of the parties involved, Sin sought her out. "Here's a question," she said, getting Iris' attention. "Why doesn't Ted Grant seem to be too fond of Bart?"

"Oh. My. God!" Iris laughed. "That's right, you missed that. Get comfortable, this is a story you're going to love! Ian was in tears when we told him, he was laughing so hard. He joined the team smack in the middle of all of this." Sin flinched back from a gust of wind as Iris took off and returned with snacks and drinks. "Why Ted Grant is not a big fan of Bart Allen, chapter one," Iris grinned. "You've met Courtney, right?" Sin nodded. "Well Courtney is a member of the JSA officially, she just hangs out with us a lot."

"Why do I have a feeling that I know where this is going?" Sin grinned, leaning back with a glass of water and some chips.

Iris cackled. "Courtney is the beloved princess of the JSA. You don't mess with their beloved princess and expect to come out of it unscathed. Bart knew this and still screwed it up," Iris said, beginning her story.

Firewall rolled his neck to release the tension in it and winced at the cracking noises it made. He and Arsenal had been the first to return to the Tower after the world's heroes had been forced to repel an alien attack on Earth. He knew Green Lantern would be a while in returning, as she had been sent with her fellow Green Lanterns to escort the invaders to some off world tribunal. Robin and Superboy had called in but Firewall hadn't heard from any of the Flashes yet. He let his shoulders sag in relief when his sister raced into the lounge with their cousin just then.

"You two are alright?" Bart asked, removing his cowl.

"Yeah, you guys?" Jai replied, going to hug his sister.

"Singed, but we're alive," Iris winced.

"Singed?"

Iris showed off where her hip had been grazed. The fabric of her costume was burnt but the skin underneath had mostly healed. "Bart got hit in the shoulder," she added.

"You just got nicked," Lian murmured, studying Bart's injured shoulder.

"We're okay," Bart assured her. "Where'd you two end up?"

"Breaking into Lexcorps," Jai replied. "Turns out he was responsible for the aliens showing up in the first place."

Iris sagged. "We're getting shot at by weirdo aliens with very itchy trigger fingers and you two are having a party."

"Breaking into Lex Luthor's evil lair is a party?" Lian muttered. Jai shrugged.

"Compared to what we went through, yes it is," Bart told her.

"You were shot?" Courtney Whitmore gasped as she came into the lounge. Bart raced to her to assure her that he was alright and to check on her. She threw her arms around his neck and within moments, gratitude filled passion took the pair over.

"I'm not going to be able to un-see that for a while," Iris muttered, as Bart swept Courtney into his arms and headed for his quarters.

"Neither am I," Jai mused. Lian looked at the twins and shook her head.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up," she told Iris, leading her to the medical bay.

Sin had a smirk on her face as Iris told the story. "So Lian makes sure I'm all healed up and we don't see Bart or Courtney until well into the afternoon the next day," Iris was telling Sin. "Fast forward two months and Bart's in DC helping the Justice Society with a case."

"Thanks Bart," Mr Terrific said. "It would have taken me a week to read all of that."

"Not a problem," Bart replied. "Although I'm beginning to suspect you guys only want me for the photographic memory."

"No, of course not! We like the speed reading talent too."

"Mike, don't make me cut you off," Courtney threatened. She was curled on the sofa looking a little pale. Bart noticed and drifted over to her.

"You weren't kidding, Piet…she will use that on us," Michael said to Doctor Midnite.

"I'm suspended from making requests for a month," Pieter coughed.

"The girl gets her dream book store. She can obtain anything we could possibly want and she's holding that over our heads," Michael, groaned. "You're evil, Girl…you okay?"

"I have been nauseous all day," Courtney muttered.

"Have you eaten?" Pieter asked her.

"I had eggs and toast this morning," Courtney said. "That was alright for a while before my stomach went all blah on me. I've eaten maybe a dozen crackers on top of that since."

"Let's go have a look," Pieter, told her with a jerk of his thumb.

"Any idea what it might be?" Michael asked Bart.

"Flu season is raging away merrily right now in Central City," Bart shrugged. Courtney and Pieter returned a while later. Courtney was shaking her head and rolling her eyes while Pieter was trying to contain his smirk. "You alright?"

"Great," Courtney replied sarcastically.

"She's also off duty for the rest of the year," Pieter added.

Realisation dawned on Bart and he let his head fall back. "The invasion."

"Most likely," Courtney replied, going over to him and taking his hand.

"What about the invasion?" Michael asked.

Pieter gave up trying to hide his amusement. "My guess is that they got a little carried away during their post battle reunion." Michael's mouth made an 'o' shape in understanding.

"Keep laughing and I'm making it two months," Courtney threatened Pieter.

"I'm leaving before she bans me for life," Pieter chuckled.

Michael turned to the expecting parents. "Kid, it's a good thing you're one of the fastest humans on the planet," he playfully warned Bart. "Ted finds out and you're in for it." Courtney huffed a breath in disgust while Bart wrapped his arms around her.

"Too late," Ted Grant growled from the hallway leading into the lounge.

"Bart?" Jay Garrick added. He walked past Ted towards the young couple.

Bart shrugged at Jay. "What can you do?"

"Yeah, we screwed up. We'll handle this," Courtney stated, glaring at the two elder heroes.

"How do you plan on doing that?" Ted asked, stepping out of the shadows.

Bart looked down at Courtney. "I guess I'm moving in with you, above the bookstore."

"I've only been nagging you to do that since we opened the place together, last year," Courtney chuckled.

"He doesn't live with you?" Michael asked.

"No, Bart lives across the river in Keystone," Jay replied.

Courtney looked up at Bart. "I suppose we should let our families know."

"Your's first…mine's bigger," Bart replied. He picked her up and vanished in blur of speed.

"I meant, is he going to do the right thing," Ted muttered darkly.

"And what exactly is the right thing, these days?" Jay asked in all honesty.

Sin nodded as Iris continued telling the story. "So they told Courtney's family first in Nebraska. Pat, Courtney's step-dad, was a little disappointed with them, but her mom was thrilled. And after the groans of 'Impulse, Round Three' with us, they knew they had our support."

Pat Dugan sighed. "I know first-hand the relief that you made it through a big one can be overwhelming," he said. "Believe me I do, but guys…so do you."

"If it matters any," Courtney stated. "According to Pieter, he figures that we did do everything right…it's just that apparently the pill is not as effective with me as it should be."

"That's a common one in the family," Barbara Dugan piped up. "Why do you think your Aunt Catherine has five kids?"

Pat gave his wife a look. "So the fact that it took them this long is kind of the surprise. Is that it?"

"I'm afraid so," Barbara replied.

"So what do you two plan on doing?" Pat asked the couple. "I'm assuming you're keeping the baby."

"We are," Bart told them. "I'll move in with her and we'll go from there."

"It's not like they're kids, Pat," Barbara told her husband. "They've made the bookstore a huge hit and have already paid back all the loans they got. In under a year from opening it no less."

"With interest," Courtney pointed out.

"And my entire family lives right there in Central or Keystone. We won't be going it completely alone," Bart added.

"And we're not that far away," Barbara pointed out.

"True," Pat shrugged. "If you two are sure of what you're doing, then I guess I can only give you my blessing."

Iris went on to add that Courtney's mother immediately went into happy grandma mode and started in on them for entirely different reasons. Namely were they planning on having more than one eventually. "But Ted was hung up on whether Bart would what exactly?" Sin asked.

"Ted's old school. In his opinion it was only right that they get married as soon as possible," Iris replied. "Uncle Barry was hung up on that one for a little bit too," she added, continuing her story.

"I guess congratulations are in order," Barry said. "Um so when are getting married?"

"If we decide to go that route eventually, it'll be after the baby's born," Courtney stated.

"Why do they need to focus on getting married right away, Barry?" Iris Allen asked her husband. "It's the twenty first century, Honey," she added when Barry's response was 'uh'.

"My parents never got married," Bart added.

"They weren't?" Barry gaped.

"No, Don and Meloni weren't," Iris informed him. "Meloni's father made it impossible for them to do so anyway."

"What was his hiccup?" Barry asked.

"Mom's last name is Thawne, remember," Bart told him. "And her dad was the president of the United Planets at the time."

"Don and Meloni were quite content to live as common law spouses," Iris added. "They had been before Bart was even conceived."

"Well I guess but…"

Iris cut Barry off. "And Bart's parents were only nineteen when he was born. Bart and Courtney are in their twenties and have their lives set out before them already."

Barry gaped at Iris before looking to Bart and Courtney. "Case closed then, I guess. Congratulations guys," he offered the couple. Bart and Courtney thanked him while Iris figured one more point wouldn't hurt.

"Dawn and Jevin got married when Jenni was a year old. And that was because they decided that they did want to spend the rest of their lives together. Not because they had Jenni already," Iris smirked.

"Message received, Iris," Barry chuckled, shaking his head, as Iris gave the couple a wink.

"We're so spoiling your grandmother," Courtney whispered in Bart's ear.

"I know," Bart agreed.

Barry glanced at Iris as a slow smirk curled his lips. He was going to get at least one on her if he had his way. "You realise that this means we're going to be great-grandparents." Iris' face fell and Barry laughed. "Congrats guys…seriously."

"I'm not old enough to be a great-grandmother," Iris murmured.

"You hardly look old enough to be my mother, let alone my grandmother," Bart reminded her.

"Are your grandparents always this adorable?" Courtney asked Bart.

"Yeah, it's nauseating," Bart laughed.

"So their families were fine with the idea?" Sin asked.

"And the Titans were thrilled of course," Iris added. "The JSA were cool with the fact that they were minus Star Girl for a while, except Ted. There was a huge blow up about a month later that your Mom saw actually, if memory serves."

"Ted's still not giving it a rest?" Dinah Lance asked, walking up next to Pieter.

"Not a chance in hell," Pieter replied.

"Why the hell are you insisting on being so damn old fashioned?" Courtney demanded. "Everyone else and their cousin who knows, is cool with the arrangement Bart and I have…except you!"

"Because you're too young and it's inappropriate, that's why," Ted hollered.

"I'll be twenty six and Bart will be twenty five when this kid shows up!" Courtney retorted. "How is that too young?"

"It's still not proper," Ted shot back.

"When? Seventy years ago?" Courtney asked. "News Flash, Ted. People are getting divorced faster than they're getting married. If and when I feel I'm ready to take that step with Bart, it won't be because he's the father of my baby!"

Dinah and Pieter shared a look. "I've got Ted, you get Courtney," Dinah said. Pieter nodded and the pair walked in on the argument.

"You need to calm down," Pieter told Courtney.

"Ted needs to grow a brain," Courtney snapped.

"I've got this," Dinah assured her. Turning to Ted, she folded her arms across her chest and looked up at him coolly. "I'm admitting right now, that this will be a cheap shot," she stated.

"Back off Dinah," Ted growled.

"No, you back off," Dinah retorted. "Stop placing your own short comings on someone who is clearly not making the same mistakes as you did. That is what this is about right?"

Pieter took Courtney by the shoulders and turned her away. "Kitchen."

"But…?"

"March…now," Pieter ordered, gently shoving her forward.

"Killjoy."

"Your mom apparently went up one side of Ted and down the other," Iris was laughing. "You'll have to ask her, but I'm told that Ted shut up for the most part after that."

"I'll tell you what she says, if she spills," Sin promised.

"Cool! So Court was placated with Dr Cross' infamous hot chocolate and decided to head to the Tower, where Bart was when all that went down," Iris continued. "Unbeknownst to anyone at the time, the story of the fight at the brownstone was about to take a back seat."

"Oh?"

"Yeah," Iris laughed.

Damian was up in Tim's quarters with his elder brother going over a case when Tim's mobile went off. "Excuse me," he apologised, insisting that he had to take the call. Damian dismissed him with a wave and continued working his end of the case. He heard Tim's end of the conversation with his wife, Tam. "So what did they say? You don't? Thank God," Tim sighed in genuine relief. "Well I guess that's good to know…you what?" Tim squeaked. Damian looked up and then over to Tim who was growing paler by the second. "Do you need me to come home? You're sure? Okay, see you Sunday night. I love you, bye."

"Is everything alright?"

"That was Tam," Tim explained. "She'd been feeling out of sorts lately and since she has a family history of sickle cell anaemia, she went to get it checked out."

"And?"

"She doesn't have it, nor is she a carrier for it," Tim replied.

"So what is wrong then, because you look like you've seen a ghost," Damian asked.

"Bart's kid is getting a playmate," Tim replied. He swallowed hard and repeated what he'd just said.

"You're joking?" Damian grinned. "Tamara's pregnant?" Tim nodded. "Congratulations."

"While my brain is still functioning somewhat, why don't we just go downstairs and drop this bomb," Tim suggested. Damian laughed and gladly followed Tim to the lounge where Courtney was finishing the story about the fight at the brownstone.

"And then Pieter decides that I probably don't need to hear the verbal ass whooping Dinah's about to lay into Ted and shoves me out to the kitchen," Courtney stated. "I'd cut him off at the bookstore again, but he plied me with hot chocolate…are you okay?" she asked Tim when he came in followed by Damian.

"I just talked to Tam and it appears that your little one is getting a buddy," he told her, pointing to her abdomen.

"You and Tam are having a baby too?" Connor grinned. Tim nodded.

"Okay hold up," Chris intervened. "Congrats to you and Tam," he added before focusing on Connor. "I know Jai's already getting a rash of shit from his old man because of Bart's impending fatherhood. I don't know how the news of Tam and Tim also expecting will go over in Gotham…but I do know what will happen in our family if you knock her up," he stated, indicating Cassie. "So do me a favour and keep it in your shorts, because I really don't need an earful of Dad's morality shtick."

"News Flash, Chris. We'll hear it anyway," Connor informed him. Chris sagged and Cassie laughed.

"He'll also be getting it from Diana," Cassie pointed out.

"And Helena," Connor groaned.

"That's right, you will," Chris perked up. "You're screwed, have fun with that!"

"If I may," Tim interrupted. "What could possibly be Clark's beef with me? My fifth wedding anniversary is coming up."

"Clark has this mental picture in his head of the four of us from our Young Justice days," Cassie supplied. "He has issues sometimes accepting that we have grown up and are adults now."

"Superman pictures the four of you as little kids still?" Courtney asked. Cassie and Connor nodded.

"That is hilarious!" Jai howled in laughter.

"Especially as two of them are having kids of their own," Lian agreed.

Tim paled and lurched towards the sofa. "Move. I need to sit down before I fall down," he barely murmured. Iris laughed and gave him her seat.

"Bart took the news better than you are," Courtney mused.

"That's because Tam and I weren't planning on kids until we were in our thirties," Tim replied.

"Plan all you like, but the Fates are very good at giving humanity the finger. They've been doing it for eons," Cassie laughed.

"So while Bart just rolled with it, Tim nearly fainted?" Sin asked.

"Yeah. Tim went on to curse Cassie and her dad's family…it was hilarious," Iris replied. "Ian joined the team about two months before Alia arrived," she went on to say. "By then Ted had mellowed considerably. He was actually the first one to get them a present for the baby. A little black cat plushie that Alia adores."

"I'll have to find out from Mom what she told him," Sin chuckled.

"Ted still wonders aloud occasionally when Court and Bart are going to make it official and get hitched, but not nearly as bad as when they first found out they were expecting," Iris told her.

"Alia's a beautiful name," Sin stated. "Where did they get it from?" Iris laughed.

"You're already aware that they're huge books nerds, right? Alia is the name of a character in one of their favourite book series," Iris explained. "When they learned they were having a girl, Courtney flat out declared right then and there that they were naming her Alia."

"Bart obviously didn't disagree…or did he?" Sin asked.

"No, he loved it. He was on board with that one from the second Courtney decided on it," Iris told her. "Even though the character goes insane later in the series," Iris muttered. "And as for Teejay…that was kind of a no brainer too."

"Oh?"

"Tamara Jasmin and Timothy Jackson?"

"T…J…got it," Sin laughed.

Iris and Sin chatted for a while longer before Damian called out that dinner was ready. Sin called Dinah later that evening to get the story about what she might have said to shut up Ted Grant. Dinah laughed and gladly told Sin the missing piece of the story. "I got the dirt," Sin grinned, dashing into Iris' quarters.

"What did she tell him?" Iris grinned.

"Have you ever heard of a Tom Bronson?"

"Vaguely…he was Wildcat for a while," Iris replied. "Why?"

Sin waggled her eyebrows and grinned. "Mom's cheap shot was to apparently remind Ted that Tom was his illegitimate son from a one night stand."

"Oh my God! Seriously?" Iris grinned. "That's why Ted backed off on Bart so fast after the big fight! Rock on Dinah!"


	47. The Thrill Of Danger

The Thrill Of Danger

_A/N: Somewhat smutty chapter involving a couple of the kid's kids. And not the ones you might think if you're a regular follower of this series._

It was open enrollment at UC Berkeley and prospective new students swarmed the campus, deciding if the school could offer what they wanted. Rana Wayne glanced to her side and smiled. "Thanks for coming with me," she said.

"Not a problem," Zander Reyes shrugged. "I've always wondered what they do at these things."

"Just because your schooling was different," Rana teased. Zander gave her a grin as they walked to the college dining hall. "I don't know though," she murmured, after they got lunch and found a place to sit.

"About coming to school all the way out here?" Zander asked.

"No, that part I'm sure of," Rana stated. "Don't get me wrong, I love my family…"

"But sometimes you need a break?" Rana nodded.

"And if Dad says something, I can always point out the Aunt Lian and Uncles Jai and Chris live just down the road. Plus, Aunt Sin is just across the Bay," Rana pointed out. "I'm just not sure about their engineering program here."

"I thought Berkeley was supposed to be one of the best engineering schools in the country," Zander said.

"For what I want to get into it is," Rana supplied. "But so is UCLA."

"Which you said yesterday, when we went through there, that you'd end up murdering someone before the end of the first semester…because they grated on your nerves," Zander pointed out. "You haven't said that about here yet."

"You have a point," Rana conceded. "I guess Berkeley it is then."

"So where to now?" Zander asked after they finished eating.

"Back to the Tower, so I can call up Dad and tell him where he's sending his money," Rana replied. They walked a little ways when Rana suddenly paused and the colour drained from her face. "Zan, run…get out of here."

"Rana?"

"Go. It's Professor Zoom," she murmured before taking off at speed.

"The hell?" Zander flinched back as a more powerful gust of wind blew past him and he could just make out the solid yellow of Professor Zoom, hot on Rana's trail. "Oh hell no," Zander muttered before teleporting away. He arrived on an isolated island he was sure was in Fiji somewhere. Focusing his power on creating a magical barrier, he tweaked it for a specific purpose and then thought of Rana. "Come to me," he murmured.

"You're not the one I want, but I'll enjoy killing you anyway," Zoom threatened as he gained on Rana.

"Good luck with that," Rana shot back, trying to think of a plan.

"First you and then the golden eyed girl," Zoom purred menacingly.

"Not if I can help it," Rana muttered. She suddenly felt compelled to head for the South Pacific. Not wanting to waste time and wonder why, she changed course. There, on a Fijian island, the figure clad in black and red gave her all the answers she needed. "Tempest!" she hollered.

"Behind me," he called back. Rana raced through his barrier unharmed as Zander focused all of his power on it.

"I'll kill you before you can…" Zoom never got to finish his threat as he vanished in a blinding flash of light.

"What happened? Zander!" Rana called out as he collapsed to his knees in the shallows.

"Sent him back to when he came from," Zander answered, breathing heavily. "You're bleeding," he said, glancing up at her.

"Wha?" Rana moved and saw blood trickling down her right arm. She glanced at the wound on her bicep and caught movement out of the corner of her eye. "Stay there, I'll come to you," she told him and went to kneel in front of him in the shallow water.

"Metal," he murmured, holding a hand up to her arm as he cast a healing spell. "Old metal…there's rust."

"That shipyard in Italy," Rana winced. "I tried losing him there, I must have gotten nicked in the process."

"Italy?" Zander asked. "Where were you when I summoned you here?"

"Halfway to Africa. I zipped back and cut across Panama," Rana replied. "In case you're curious, I made five and a half trips around the world with that maniac on my tail."

"That was going to be my next question," Zander admitted. "There. Healed," he sighed.

"You need to rest," Rana told him, helping him to his feet and walking ashore with him.

"So do you," he countered. "There's food over there," he added, indicating the inland brush. "And I can secure us fresh water." He flopped onto the sand near a coconut palm.

Rana kicked off her shoes and took off her socks and tights. "They're wet and it's a tad warm here," she informed him, when she saw the raised eyebrow. "Here," Rana told him a moment later. She had coconuts that she'd used her speed to open.

"Thank you," he murmured. He drained the juice and held his hand out towards the ocean. A small ball of fresh water separated from the sea and drifted towards them. Zander used half of it to fill his empty coconut and drained it. Rana gratefully accepted the other half. "What was Zoom doing here?" he asked a little while later.

Rana hugged her knees and shivered. "He wanted Alia. He was going to kill her. He found me instead."

"Why Alia?"

"Because she's Bart's daughter and they're both his descendants," Rana replied.

"That's right…Bart's from the future," Zander murmured. "Are you okay?"

Rana shook her head. "I deal with Gotham's lunatics all the time. They've never terrified me the way Zoom just did." She didn't put up a fight when Zander reached out to her and pulled her down to him. "Thanks," she murmured after a while.

"Titans together and all that jazz," Zander replied. "I think I've got the energy to get us home."

"Rest if you need to," Rana insisted. Zander shook his head.

"I'll rest better in my own bed." Rana reluctantly sat up and Zander followed. Rana gathered her things and held onto Zander as he teleported them to the Tower.

"What the hell happened to you two?" Teejay asked in concern.

"You were only over in Berkeley," Alia added.

"Mijo? Ay Dios mio," Nina murmured, removing a magically charmed bracelet from her wrist and sliding it onto Zander's.

"What happened?" Teejay demanded.

"Zoom," Rana replied. Alia paled as Nina and Teejay looked at her in shock. "He wanted Alia, but he found me instead. I spent a few minutes racing around the world trying to lose him while Zander set up a trap for him…somewhere."

"Where is he now?" Alia asked.

"Back in his own time," Zander supplied.

"No wonder you're spent," Nina said, taking hold of him. "Let's get you to bed."

"Gracias mi prima," Zander thanked her as she helped him to his quarters.

"I'm not going to lie, I like their plan," Rana muttered indicating Nina and Zander. Teejay snatched her when she tried to move and only sagged.

"I've got her," Teejay told Alia, hoisting Rana into his arms.

"I'll meet you up there," Alia said, taking off for the kitchen. Alia brought energy bars to Rana's room and made her eat them. "I know you hate them, but eat," Alia apologised at Rana's dark scowl.

"All these geniuses at our disposal and we can't make these things taste good," Rana muttered.

"That's my girl," Teejay sighed in relief as his cousin's usual sardonic personality began to show again. "Eat up and then get some rest. I'll call your folks and tell them you're staying the night."

"Don't tell them why," Rana begged. "I'll do it tomorrow."

"Okay Sweetie. I'll make sure he doesn't," Alia promised.

"If you're smart, you'll do what your wife tells you," Rana smirked at Teejay.

"Yeah I learned that lesson the hard way," Teejay retorted. "Get some sleep," he added, giving her a kiss on her brow.

Alia and Teejay left Rana's room and paused in the hallway. Teejay called Rana's parents and said that she was going to stay the night at the Tower because she wanted to check out another school in the area. Teejay hung up and Alia held out her hand for his mobile. Teejay wasn't about to hand it over, but the decision was taken from him when Nina slipped past and snatched the mobile, handing it to Alia.

"Thanking you," Alia grinned. "How's Zan?"

"Dead to the world, poor thing" Nina replied. "It took nearly everything he had to send Zoom away. How's Rana?"

"Getting back to her usual self, but she's waxed too," Teejay replied.

"I know you need to be at the office in the morning," Alia said to Teejay.

"I'll be here," Nina added, when Alia glanced her way.

"We'll debrief them in the morning," Alia stated. Teejay and Nina nodded in agreement.

It was dark outside when Rana woke up. She rolled out of bed and stood on shaky legs. After gaining her balance, she changed out of the skirt and tee she'd been wearing into a set of pyjamas, before heading out in search of food. She spied one of her cousins working at the kitchen table and raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing, Tai?" she asked, getting a box of cereal out of the pantry.

"Adding some RAM to my wrist comp," Tai replied.

"Like you need more RAM in that thing," Rana scoffed, setting down the cereal, milk, and a bowl.

"There's no such thing as too much RAM," Tai retorted, as Rana went to fetch a spoon. "I heard you had an interesting day."

"Let me just say that you never, ever, ever want to run into Zoom," Rana replied. "I'd rather take on a gang of Jokers with two broken legs and an arm tied behind my back."

"Okay, that's grim…even for you," Tai remarked.

"It's the truth," Rana sighed. "Has Zander woken up yet?"

Tai shook her head. "Nina checked on him a little while ago before heading to bed and said he was out for the count."

"I'd believe it," Rana murmured. They chatted for a little while as Rana ate. Tai asked about the school search and Rana told her where she was planning on going.

"Well that's cool," Tai stated. "Here, hold that," she added, handing a coil of solder wire to Rana. Rana held the end to the spot Tai indicated while she made the join. "Thanks."

"No problem. You need anything else?" Rana replied, getting up and clearing the table of her late night snack.

"Nope. If you need to go back to bed, by all means," Tai replied. "I wonder if Teej will cough up for a new micro drive," she murmured, pondering the inner workings of her wrist computer.

Rana knew the distant tone of her cousin when she was in full blown techno mode and left her to it. Instead of heading up to the main sleeping quarters, Rana headed down. She knocked and got no answer. Opening the door, she quietly slipped in and looked down into the pool Zander occasionally slept in. It was dark and she couldn't tell if he was in bed or not. Curling on the sofa bed next to the pool, she pulled the blanket tossed at one end around herself. Rana was surprised a little while later when Zander drifted out of his bathroom wrapped in a towel.

"Hi. You alright?" Zander asked.

"Fine. I was checking on you," Rana replied.

"Nina left enough healing charms and talismans in here to power a herd of elephants," Zander chuckled.

"I have a question," Rana asked, as Zander took a seat next to her. "How were you able to throw that spell up between Zoom and me?"

"I created the spell to be shaped like a barrier," Zander began explaining. "I tweaked it so that only you could pass through it unharmed. Anyone else would have ended up somewhere else. Once I had everything in place, I summoned you to me."

"That must have difficult as hell," Rana marvelled.

"It was easy," Zander admitted. At Rana's questioning murmur, he looked over to her and sighed. "I've been nursing a crush on you for what seems like eternity," he admitted. "I wanted you safe."

"Oh," Rana murmured. "There's your cheesy coincidence."

"Que?" Zander moaned in pleasure a moment later when he had a lap full of speedster kissing him. Rana felt his hands drift to her waist and deepened the kiss. She moaned when his hips trust up instinctively and let her head fall back. Zander took the opportunity presented to him and mouthed her throat. "Rana?" he murmured when she pushed back from him a moment later. She said nothing as she reached for the hem of her camisole top and pulled it off. Zander swallowed and pulled her closer to him.

"Fuck," Rana groaned as Zander nipped at her breasts. He murmured something in Atlantean and shifted so he could lay her down on the bed. "What was that?" she asked, her voice husky with desire.

"Magical protection," Zander replied, returning his mouth to her chest. Rana was about to make a joking comment when all coherent thought flew from her mind. All her world consisted of was the sensation of his mouth moving between her breasts and the hand he slipped between her thighs.

Rana blinked and lifted her hips up as Zander gently tugged on her shorts. He slid them off of her and tossed them aside, along with the towel he'd had on around his waist. Her eyes closed in a haze of sensation as she let him explore her exposed skin. She hissed a while later and placed a shaky hand on his hip to still him. "Give me second," she gasped, when he filled her. A soft moan issued from him as he complied and occupied his mouth with the spot below her ear. "Please," she whispered a moment later and rocked against him. Zander gladly obeyed and thrust up into her.

"Let go," he murmured into her ear in Atlantean a little while later. Rana had no idea what he'd said but finally stop fighting the growing storm of sensation in her belly. She jammed the back of her hand against her mouth and screamed as her orgasm exploded through her. Rana tried muffling her screams of pleasure a further three more times before Zander finally let his own release go. "Mine," he growled low in his throat. He was careful not to let his full weight fall upon her as he collapsed to the bed a moment later.

"I really need to learn Atlantean if you're going to use that exclusively in bed," Rana joked sometime later. She was lazily sprawled on top of him.

"It must be my default setting," Zander chuckled. "I honestly forgot how to speak anything else."

Rana lowered her head and kissed along Zander's jaw before moving down to his throat. A spot just to the left of his Adam's apple had proven to be his weakness. Rana concentrated her attention on the spot for a few minutes before deciding that he was completely at her mercy. She had wanted to explore his body for years and she took full advantage of her chance now. Unlike her, Zander had scars. Several interesting ones, she noted, as she kissed and ran her tongue along each one. Rana smirked against the bronze skin of his abdomen when she felt him getting hard against her breasts.

"You must be feeling better if you're ready for another round," she teased, making her way down to his swelling erection. Zander hissed something that she didn't understand as she took his length in hand. "Definitely learning Atlantean," she murmured, gently pulling his foreskin back and kissing the tip of his penis.

The following morning, Nina gently knocked on Zander's door and opened it. Spying her cousin asleep on his stomach with Rana partially draped over his back, she grinned and quietly closed the door. "I can't find Rana anywhere," Alia said when Nina ran into her upstairs.

"She's using Zander as a body pillow," Nina smirked. Alia gaped at her slightly. "Her jammies were on the floor by the way."

"Damn it," Alia muttered, letting her head fall back.

"Hey. How many times did I have to cover for you and dreadlock boy?" Nina huffed.

"Not that," Alia said. "This means that I owe the twins money." They started walking for the kitchen.

Nina shook her head. "You of all people should know that you never bet against those two."

"I know," Alia sighed. "It's just that I thought for sure that they had this one wrong."

"What one?"

Alia sighed. "Remember that survival trip thing, five years ago?" Nina nodded. "According to the Cotton Candy twins, Rana developed a huge crush on your cousin on that trip."

"That's interesting," Nina chuckled. "Zan's been nursing a boner for Rana for years."

"Well, it sounds like he got that taken care of," Alia mused. "Anyway, the twins made their claim. I called bullshit and they slapped cash down on the table. I couldn't refuse."

"That'll teach you," Nina chuckled. Alia saw Tai at the kitchen table and sneered as she reached back for her wallet.

Tai glanced up at the hundred dollars slapped down next to her and smirked. "Told you. Rana's wanted to jump Zander's bones ever since that survival trip."

"How did you know that that's what the money was for?" Nina asked.

"Because it's one of three bets we have open with her and it's the only one I stood to win a hundred bucks in," Tai replied, holding her wrist computer up to the light to better see something in the inner workings.

"Stop rubbing it in, smart ass," Alia muttered, pouring herself a cup of coffee.

"On one condition," Tai stated. Alia glared at her. "Can you ask Teej about getting me a new micro drive for my wrist comp? Ten terabytes would be fantastic."

"Oh," Alia blinked in surprise. "Sure."

"You're easy," Nina teased.

"Just ask Teejay," Tai muttered under her breath.

"Shut it," Alia growled.

"Morning!" Moon greeted cheerfully. "You're still playing with that thing?" she asked her twin.

"Duh," Tai snorted, reaching into her tool kit.

"Whatever," Moon huffed. "Rana's still asleep?" she asked after noticing that the girl was missing.

Tai looked up and grinned. "She's shacked up in bed with Zander."

Moon held a hand out to Alia. "Pay up." Alia muttered darkly under her breath and handed over a hundred dollars to Moon. Moon thanked her and tucked the money away in her pocket.

"I'm telling you…these two and bets are dangerous," Nina smirked.

"Don't tell Blondie stupid crap like that," Tai stated.

"Our bank accounts thrive on her gullibility," Moon added.

"I swear I'm cutting you two off," Alia vowed.

"You've been saying that for years," Petra scoffed, as she joined them in the kitchen. "Which bet did she lose this time?" she asked the twins.

"Rana getting her mer-man," Moon winked.

Petra looked to Alia. "She spent two weeks stranded on a desert island, staring at him in nothing but a pair of swim trunks and she's wanted to peel them off of him ever since," she stated. "I know Rana can be hard to read sometimes, but really? That one was painfully obvious."

"Are you guys quite done?" Alia asked.

"Almost," Petra told her. "When are you two going to cut me in on your scam of taking advantage of her?" she asked the twins.

"If you wanted in, all you had to do was ask," Tai murmured.

"I did, you told me to drop dead," Petra countered.

"Okay…next time we have a sure thing on her, we'll let you in on it," Moon shrugged.

"Thank you," Petra said. "Now I'm done," she added to Alia.

Tai saw the look on Alia's face and glanced to her sister. "Hydrargyrum."

"Que?" Nina asked, completely confused.

"It's the Greek name for the element mercury and my codename," Alia smirked. Petra, Moon, and Tai all shared a look before excusing themselves and disappearing.

Nina rested her chin in her hand and smirked. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say Wonder Girl, Velocity, and Quantum just took off for patrol."

"Yeah, now we don't have to," Alia purred into her coffee.

"I just had a thought," Nina mused. "Is nothing sacred in this outfit?"

"Rule one, amendment E in the Titan's laws," Alia quoted. "Rule one states that the Titans aren't just a team, they're family. Amendment E states that nothing is sacred and everything is fair game."

"Okay, you just made that shit up," Nina laughed. Alia disappeared and returned in a gust of wind and tossed an old high school composition book down in front of Nina. "Teen Titans Charter, Constitution, and Laws," Nina read aloud from the cover. She flipped it open and read aloud some more. "Originally recorded by Messrs Harper and West…Roy Harper and Wally West?"

"Yep," Alia replied. "They were probably sixteen when they wrote this," she added as she fingered through the pages until finding the one she wanted and opened it to show Nina.

"Huh, it is true," Nina murmured. "How a good a read is this?" she asked.

"You'll die laughing," Alia promised. "Some of the comedians who've added to it over the years will surprise the hell out of you."

"How come I never knew this actually existed until now?" Nina asked.

"I'm not sure, but the story goes something like; the original five misplaced it. Someone found it years later, added to it, and promptly lost it again. It wasn't until Young Justice became the Teen Titans, that it's been under lock and key," Alia said. "Since then, it's been in the care of the Bats. I convinced Teej that we need to keep it here, instead of in Gotham."

Downstairs, the room took on a beautiful blue light as the sunlight filtered through the water outside. Rana watched the light scatter in the water outside the window for a while before reluctantly moving. Zander awoke when he felt her move and place a gentle kiss on his shoulder. "Morning," he murmured sleepily.

"I don't know if it is or not," Rana admitted, looking around for a clock.

Zander glanced over his shoulder to the water outside. "It's just after nine in the morning," he informed her.

"Well then, good morning to you too," she teased. They shared a lazy kiss before Rana gave a disappointed moan. "I should probably call my parents and tell them about yesterday."

"True," Zander agreed. "Before they find out from someone else." He leaned over her and mouthed her right breast.

"Teej is probably going want a full report too," she moaned, as her body started tingling in response to Zander's affections.

"He probably does," Zander agreed. "But right now, I don't really care."

"Fuck that, neither do I," Rana stated, gently rolling Zander onto his back so she could straddle him.

Back up in the kitchen, Nina and Alia glanced over their shoulders to see Corey and Reno walking in. Reno was laughing and Corey looked traumatised. "What's wrong?" Nina asked.

"Your cousin is balls deep in one of my cousins," Corey stated.

Nina laughed. "I figured that that's what happened when I checked on Zander this morning and saw them passed out in bed."

"No, right now," Corey specified.

"They're up?" Alia asked.

"That's one way of putting it, Chica," Reno laughed.

"You peaked?" Nina asked.

"No. But I can hear them," Corey replied.

"We went to go get Zan and he stops as soon as we get in the hallway. The next thing I know, he's dragging me up here while complaining about his hearing," Reno laughed.

"We really need to do something about the soundproofing in this place," Corey muttered. "Unless their last name is Reyes, I'm related in one way or another to everyone on this damn team…and I really don't need to hear that, thanks."

"The brightest minds on the planet still haven't figured out how to fully soundproof for Daxamites and Kryptonians. Sorry Hon," Alia informed him.

Corey sagged and then suddenly slammed his hands over his ears. "I really need to get out of here," he whimpered.

"You've always said you wanted to hit Machu Picchu, let's go to Peru," Reno suggested, armouring up. He paused and his face fell slightly as his armour picked up what Corey was hearing. "Damn…chica's a screamer. Okay we're gone," Reno laughed.

The two boys left Alia and Nina alone in the kitchen. Nina opened the composition book and flipped through the pages. "Is there anything in here about what to do in the event of uncomfortable situations involving family member's sex lives?" she chuckled.

"No, but do you want to add to it?" Alia suggested, producing a pen. Teejay returned to the Tower a few hours later after working at Wayne Enterprises' San Francisco office to find his wife and her best friend howling in laughter. Reading the amendments they'd made to the book he figured out what he'd missed.

"How much money did she lose to the twins for this one?" Teejay asked, jerking his thumb towards Alia.

"Two hundred bucks," Nina laughed.

Teejay took out the pen in his breast pocket and moved the book towards him. "What page is gambling on again?" he asked Alia, who knew the book word for word.

"Forty three."

Teejay found the page and checked everything that had been recorded before. "Bets involving family member slash teammates sex lives, no longer allowed," he stated as he scrawled it into the book.

"Busted," Zander chuckled as he and Rana entered the kitchen, showered and dressed.

"Have you even called Aunt Irey and Uncle D and told them about yesterday?" Teejay asked Rana.

"Yesterday?" Rana puzzled. "Oh yeah…Zoom." She patted her pockets down and then held her hand out for Teejay's mobile.

"Damn, he must be good if she forgot about that," Alia murmured to Nina. "She was shaking like a leaf last night."

"Yes, he worked wonders…now shut up," Rana stated, scrolling through Teejay's contact list until she found her mother. "Hi Mom. Tell Dad I've decided on UC Berkeley. I forgot my phone in my room, that's why I'm using Teejay's. Uh-huh…oh by the way. Professor Zoom showed up yesterday looking for Alia and found me instead. I had him chase me while Zander set up a really cool trap to send him back to his own time."

Teejay folded his arms across his chest and looked at Zander in surprise. "I'm impressed," he said when Zander wondered he was looking at.

"So am I," Rana stated, ending her call. "And don't even think of giving me a rash of shit, considering the number of times I've walked in on you two making out somewhere that is not a bedroom," she added to Teejay, returning his mobile to him.

Nina gave up trying to contain her amusement and lay her head on the counter, screaming in laughter.


	48. Burnt Out Like Faded Stars

Burnt Out Like Faded Stars

_A/N: Side-lined recently due to 'stuff'. Anyhoo, haven't really felt the urge to write and have been flat out of ideas to be honest. But I are back! And a request I got is getting attention this time. Request: Damian has been hopelessly hooked on Irey forever…but when did she return the admiration? The song Cerdian's singing along to in this is 'Shine' by Ulrich Schnauss._

'Stupid emo singer,' Iris thought to herself as she ran. The song she'd heard had bore into her soul and mind and wouldn't let go. "Figures that Ian only listens to stuff that no one else in their right mind would," she muttered aloud. Iris had been minding her own business at the Tower, heading to the kitchen to forage for a snack when she found Cerdian seated at the table. The Atlantean was reading up on whatever Atlantean princes read up on and had music playing on his laptop. Iris had glanced over his shoulder and boggled at the exotic script on the screen.

"Housing zoning in one of the outer Shayeris districts," Cerdian said, glancing over his shoulder at Iris.

"You seriously have to contend with things like that?" Iris asked, heading for the refrigerator.

"Considering that the district is located on the edge of a deep silt base…yes," Cerdian replied. "If the district commission builds where they want to, their efforts will sink into the seafloor in about five years."

"Why don't they just build away from it?" Iris asked.

"That's what Dad and I are trying to figure out," Cerdian mused. "The commission has some bizarre argument about aesthetics and that if they build away from the silt base that it'll screw up their layout…or some weird thing like that."

"Huh? My brain just broke," Iris muttered.

"Join the club," Cerdian scoffed.

Iris blinked in confusion as Cerdian went back to his reading. The song on the laptop changed and he began singing along to it softly. About halfway into the song, Iris began to curse her habit of listening to lyrics and finding a deeper meaning to them. She'd had an odd conversation with Sin earlier in the day and the song brought back the confusion she'd had while talking to Sin. Sin had asked what Iris saw in Damian. An innocent enough question and asked out of pure curiosity. Iris understood that Sin wasn't asking out of malice, but the question had caught her unawares.

"al Ghul practically worships the ground you tear across," Sin stated. "So when did you realise that you felt the same towards him?"

Iris blinked a few times as she pondered her answer. "I honestly couldn't tell you…because I have no idea."

Iris listened to the music and her teammate as he murmured along with the lyrics in the kitchen. A line in particular caught her attention and she set her spoon aside.

_I don't see you in my sky,_

_Burnt out like faded stars…we are,_

_Burnt out like faded stars…we are, _

_If I could go right now…so far,_

_If I could go right now…so far._

"I'm going to go for a run," Iris murmured softly, as a memory came to mind.

"I wish I could join you," Cerdian mused. "Have fun," he added, going back to his reading and singing along to the music.

Iris blinked in the bright sunlight outside before tearing into the Bay and under the Golden Gate Bridge. She quickly caught up to the limit of daylight and the sky quickly faded to star filled night. Water gave way eventually to an endless sea of sand and she stopped. A quick glance to the twinkling lights above to find her bearings told her that she was in North Africa somewhere. The Saini Peninsula, she realised as she took off again and raced across the Suez Canal and then the Nile. Deviating slightly she turned south and stopped at the remains of an ancient step pyramid that predated the grander ones to the north by over a millennia. Climbing up the pyramid, she got two thirds of the way up and settled on the ledge. Leaning back she gazed at the stars above. The answer to Sin's earlier question came to her as she studied the sky with the haunting strains of the song playing in her mind.

She was fourteen when it happened. She had a playful friendly relationship with Damian Wayne, at least as far as she was concerned. He was more Jai's friend than her's that much she knew. The junior team consisted of just Damian, Lian, Jai, and herself back then. Iris had never thought of the fact that she was the only meta among them until Damian had taken a serious blow to the head and was rendered comatose. Iris remembered sitting in his room all night keeping vigil over his still form. When dawn broke she had to get out. She did and kept going until she ended up in the Australian Outback. The lack of light pollution should have made the stars seem brilliant that night, but they appeared dim and faded.

Looking up at the brilliant points of light now, Iris felt the prick of tears and saw the lights smear. They still appeared bright and vibrant though. Unlike the night several years prior where here tears completely hid them. Iris blinked the tears away and reminisced on the moment that she knew Damian was the one. When he woke a week later, Iris had been by his bedside and her heart nearly burst in happiness at his genuine smile at seeing her.

"So I've always been just as hopelessly hooked on Damian as he has been on me," she mused to the night sky. She stayed at the step pyramid until the first hints of the sun catching up to her brightened the eastern sky.

When Iris returned to the Tower it was early evening and Cerdian was still at the kitchen table pouring over the proposed housing project. "What's that?" she asked, looking at his screen.

"A map of Shayeris," Cerdian replied. "This is the silt base that the district commission wants to build in," he added, pointing out a barren spot on the map.

Iris traced her finger on the screen and drew imaginary lines. "Can't they just branch out like that? Eventually spreading the city around the silt?"

Cerdian smirked and used the paint program to make Iris' imaginary lines a reality. "Works for me…really works for me," he murmured as he added more details to the map. "Thanks."

"Not a problem," Iris replied. "You have any idea where Sin is?" she asked.

"Uh…"

"I'll find her," Iris dismissed and went in search of the girl. She eventually did out in the garden.

"Where were you earlier?" Sin asked as she moved through her training katas.

"Went for a run," Iris replied. "I've been thinking…I can answer that question from earlier."

"Question?" Sin puzzled for a moment. "Oh! About al Ghul?" Iris nodded and Sin finished her exercises.

"It was about six years ago," Iris began. Sin listened quietly as Iris recounted the story.

"Ah," she said when Iris finished. "That makes sense," she added. "You both are in possession of old souls. Perhaps they've been entwined for some time."

"Who in this outfit doesn't have an old soul?" Iris retorted.

"Your brother's is fairly new," Sin replied. "As is Ian's and mine. The rest of you though, have some pretty well aged souls."

"Seriously?"

Sin grinned. "Let me tell you about this little monastery in the middle of nowhere in Nepal. I lived there for a while and learned all sorts of fun things about the spirit."

"Consider me officially intrigued," Iris grinned as the two headed inside.


	49. War

War

_A/N: The kids get to play their favourite game…paintball._

Lian looked away as she aimed the neon coloured arrow towards the woods. The rest of the teens also looked away and she fired. "It hit a tree about halfway up from the sounds of it," Chris stated a few moments later, checking his gun to make sure he was ready. They had paired off into teams of two and were on the prowl to eliminate each other first before getting hit themselves. The goal was to find the arrow Lian had just shot off into the woods and not get taken out by the others.

Lian and Iris found a spot that let them hide near a small creek running through the woods and took up position. "How's life at Wayne Tech?" Lian asked, once they settled in.

"Pretty good actually," Iris replied. "Damian and I are situated right next to Tim and Tam on our own floor."

"Where you probably screw around more than work," Lian joked.

Iris sighed. "Ask Bruce that and he'll agree with you. Every time he comes down to visit, we're hanging out in one office or another and doing something other than work."

"He probably has the place bugged," Lian suggested.

"I wouldn't doubt it," Iris agreed. "I've even called him out on it. Tim and Damian won't check out of principal…even though Tam and I have nagged them enough."

A small ways off, glacial blue eyes met soft brown ones. "I can hear them but I can't tell where they're at," Cerdian murmured quietly.

Chris turned his eyes towards their prey and smirked. "There's a creek between us and them," he replied.

Cerdian held his hand up and his eyes fluttered closed. Reaching out with his senses he felt for the creek and mentally mapped it in his mind. "There's a sharp bend over there that they won't be able to see us cross at," he told Chris.

"Let's go," Chris murmured and the two hurried through the woods to the creek.

Cerdian crept towards the bend and looked downstream. He could just spot a hint of fire red hair and looked back across the creek. "Cross here and then head behind that hill," he suggested, pointing as he spoke.

"And come up behind them," Chris smirked. He took Cerdian's proffered hand and floated them across the creek. They slinked a ways until the hill was between them and their prey. Following Chris' hearing they raced along until they were directly behind Lian and Iris. "There's no way I can fly through that that they won't hear us," Chris told Cerdian, indicating the lush foliage growing up the hill.

"Leaf litter's thick too," Cerdian murmured. He held his hand out towards it and sensed that it was damp. Cautiously he separated the leaves and smirked at Chris when they both realised that the sound of the separating leaves was difficult for them to detect. Lian and Iris would never hear them coming as Cerdian made a path through the leaves.

Chris skulked slightly ahead and dared a glance over the hilltop. "They're looking away from us," he mouthed to Cerdian, who set up position behind a tree. Cerdian nodded and crept into position, aiming for Iris. Chris aimed at Lian and they fired.

"God damn son of a bitch!" Lian bellowed as she and Iris were pelted with a hail of blue and silver paint.

"Yer out!" Chris declared as Cerdian laughed. The two boys took off back the way they had come to continue the game.

Deeper into the woods, Jai and Damian froze. "C and C took out Lian and Irey," Jai murmured. They'd heard Lian's outburst and Cerdian's laughter.

"So much for 'Arsenal'," Damian muttered, looking around and indicating a stand of thick trees. He let Jai slip through first as the smaller boy had an easier time finding paths for them to navigate without giving themselves away.

"I'm telling Lian about that Arsenal crack," Jai teased, once they'd slipped deeper into the woods a way.

"Be my guest," Damian snorted. They paused and Damian got his bearings. "We need to get back over that way. I'm sure the arrow landed somewhere near the campground."

"Why? Because we could hear it hit too?" Jai surmised. Damian nodded.

"We wouldn't have been able to if there wasn't a clearing nearby," Damian said as they began walking again.

Lian and Iris climbed up the hill Chris and Cerdian had ambushed them from and paused. "That's clean," Iris stated, indicating the path Cerdian had made through the leaf litter.

Lian knelt down and removed a glove before picking up a couple of leaves on the ground. "They're wet. Ian must had used the water in them to move them."

"What? Do we start calling him Moses now?" Iris snorted a laugh.

"Works for me," Lian laughed along with her friend. "Coffee?"

"Camp's that way," Iris agreed. They took their time and strolled through the woods to their camp.

"I can't move or they'll hear me," Milagro mouthed to Sin in a bush that Jai and Damian had just passed.

"I can," Sin mouthed back. Carefully leaning over, she watched as the two boys headed towards their camp. "Okay, they're gone," she added.

"If it's near camp, why not just take them out now?" Milagro suggested, as she slowly made her way out of the bush once the coast was clear.

"I say stick to the original plan of waiting until we have a visual on the arrow," Sin replied.

"Then shoot the hell out of them," Milagro added with a nod.

"They're more used to this environment than we are," Sin said with a shrug. Milagro had to concede her point as they followed the tracks Jai and Damian had left.

Further ahead Damian paused and strained to listen. "What's up?" Jai whispered.

"We're being followed," he replied.

"We can double back over there," Jai indicated a grove of poplar trees.

"They're onto us," Sin mouthed to Milagro, a little ways back. "They've set their trap."

"Let's trap them," Milagro smirked and nodded towards an opening into an area where the trees weren't as densely packed.

Sin and Milagro made their way forward cautiously until Milagro froze and pointed towards movement she'd spotted. They took up sheltered positions and waited. On the edge of the poplar grove, Damian indicated a spot where they would have clear shots at anyone coming up the path they had just been on. Jai nodded and slinked ahead, taking up position across from Damian. Three fingers were raised up in a silent count and a barrage of green and white paintballs headed for their targets.

"Jesus Christ those things hurt," Jai yelped.

"Milagro and Cynthia," Damian sighed.

"Thanks for doing most of the search work for us, al Ghul," Sin smirked.

"Gracias," Milagro grinned.

"Kiss my ass," Jai retorted.

"You wish!" Sin cackled. Jai smirked.

"Over by the poplars!" Jai bellowed loud enough that anyone could have heard him. Damian laughed at the wide eyed looks on the two girls faces.

"Pendejo," Milagro hissed, before taking off with an equally pissed off Sin. Sin stopped and took a last shot at Jai and Damian, hitting them in a pressure point that brought them both to their knees in pain.

In the creek, Cerdian paused and leaned his head back with a groan. "What?" Chris asked.

"We're left with Mila and Sin," Cerdian muttered.

"So?" Chris puzzled.

"I'd have rather taken on Jai and Damian…they're easier to hunt."

"Point taken," Chris muttered after a moment. "So do we go after them or try and get the arrow first?"

"Get the arrow," Cerdian replied.

"Okay. Jai and D got hit over in that direction and Mila and Sin took off back the way we started from," Chris stated, pointing to where he'd heard the scuffle.

"And the arrow would be where?" Cerdian asked.

"Near camp. At least from the sound of it hitting when Lian shot it," Chris replied.

"I know when we'll roughly be even with camp," Cerdian stated, indicating the creek. "Let's just keep following this." Chris agreed and floated along behind Cerdian as they continued.

"Lian was the one swearing earlier," Sin told Milagro as they regrouped and planned their strategy.

"So Chris and Ian are the ones we're after," Milagro added. Sin nodded. "Ian wouldn't have let them take the bait Jai gave them."

"No. He was probably hoping that al Ghul and Jai took us out first," Sin agreed.

Milagro shrugged. Something caught her attention and she looked around. "What's the bets that this is the creek that runs by camp?"

They'd come across the bend Chris and Cerdian had found earlier. "They're following it," Sin said. "Tracks leading from the leaves over there go into the water."

"Ian's walking and Chris is floating behind him," Milagro surmised, seeing that one of the tracks stopped several feet from the water's edge.

"They went across and then came back," Sin said spying more tracks.

"They're definitely taking the water," Milagro pointed out as they followed the creek a little way. She pointed to a still pool that was clouded with disturbed silt. Sin pointed to an outcrop.

"That's where they ambushed Lian and Irey." Flecks of blue and silver paint splattered the rocks and tree trunks.

"They're going for the arrow first," Milagro suggested.

"Probably," Sin agreed. "Damian said it was near camp somewhere…let's get there first." They made for the main trail through the woods. Sin raced along in silence as Milagro flew low behind her. Sin held a hand up and pointed to a flash of neon in the trees.

Milagro scanned around and looked to see if Chris and Cerdian were nearby. "I don't hear the creek," she murmured.

"That's definitely the arrow," Sin said, getting a good look through the foliage. "The boughs above it are thick," she grinned.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Milagro smirked, holding up her ring.

"Oh yeah," Sin replied. Milagro used her powers to lift the two of them up into the tree above the arrow. They found hiding spots high in the tree and waited.

Over in the creek, Cerdian pointed ahead and told Chris that he recognised the area near their camp. "You'll be able to spot the arrow right?" Chris asked as he lifted his friend from the creek onto the bank.

"Yes. I look for the arrow and you keep an eye out for Mila and Sin?" Cerdian replied. Chris nodded and they began their search. Cerdian spotted the arrow a few minutes later and alerted Chris.

"Cover me," Chris grinned, lifting from the ground.

"Too late," Cerdian called out as green and white paintballs rained down on them.

"Ha!" Milagro crowed. She floated down from her hiding spot, pausing to fetch the arrow from the tree trunk.

"I can't believe you two were that careless," Sin mocked, leaping to the ground.

"How were you hiding the heartbeats?" Chris muttered. Milagro held up her ring and smirked.

"I really hate that ring," Cerdian muttered darkly.

"You weren't saying that last week," Milagro teased suggestively. Chris grinned over at his friend as Sin laughed.

"That's the only decent use it does have," Cerdian retorted, remaining purposely vague to let Chris and Sin wonder what he and Milagro were talking about.

"So where did they nail you two?" Damian asked as the remaining four returned to camp.

"Ambushed us at the arrow," Chris replied.

"We got there about ten minutes before they did," Sin added. "Thanks," she added to Iris who handed her a cup of coffee.

"So much for our ambush plans," Iris said over to Lian.

"Set up half way into the woods only to get nailed from behind," Lian shrugged.

"We heard you laugh," Cerdian stated, removing his shirt.

"And what were you two up to?" Jai asked Milagro and Sin.

"I'm from a desert and she's from barren mountains," Milagro replied, indicating Sin with a nod.

"Whereas you two are from areas more similar to this," Sin added. "We just followed you and let you do the bulk of the search for us."

"Good strategy," Chris agreed.

"We sure as hell weren't going to try and follow you two," Sin stated.

"You'd have heard us way to easily…and I know how he operates," Milagro added, pointing to Cerdian. He shot her a wry look.

"They'd have taken cheap back shots at you," Lian scoffed, indicating Chris and Cerdian.

"No. Cheap shots is what Sin did when I tried to give them away," Jai declared.

"That'll teach you to open your mouth," Sin retorted. "Pressure point shots," she added to Lian's puzzled look.

"I'd have shot the hell out of you too," Iris laughed.

_A/N II: And before anyone asks…the only useful thing about Mila's ring that Ian was referring to is the fact that it lets her visit him in Atlantis. Nothing naughty…even if the pair of them wanted Chris and Sin to think that. _


	50. Sitting On The Moon

Sitting On The Moon

_A/N: Set way in the future. One of the kids is still around but is very rarely seen on Earth anymore. Based on a dream I had recently. I can't believe this thing is fifty chapters long already and no worries...I'm not even remotely done with it.  
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Many just called him the Wanderer now. He had many names and still answered to a few of them, but for most of the denizens of the universe, Wanderer just seemed to fit him the best. It had been over a hundred years since he'd found himself in the vicinity of a simple yellow star and the rich planetary system it nurtured. If he was honest with himself, it had been nearly that long since he'd been in the Milky Way Galaxy. Standing on the surface of Pluto he contemplated the dim light from the nearby star and then he saw it. The tiny speck of blue that held so many memories for him in his youth. He shrugged, he was always susceptible to whims. Flying closer to the star in the centre of the system, he listened to the waves of sound coming from the gas giants as he passed them.

A moon of grey dust and rock was as close as he got. Setting down on its surface, he looked up at the blue planet before him. Something in the corner of his vision caught his eye and he immediately realised where he'd landed. The Sea of Tranquillity. The boulders around him were the ones that a pioneering astronaut had narrowly avoided nearly four hundred years earlier as man started taking their first steps into space. Those first two men to set their mark on history had left a flag before re-joining their compatriot in orbit around the moon and returning home. The flag was bleached white from exposure to raw unfiltered sunlight, probably within only a few years and yet it still stood. It was probably terrifyingly brittle and fragile after nearly four hundred years on the surface of the moon.

Sitting down on a nearby boulder, the Wanderer brought his knee up to his chest and rested his chin on it. Earth, the planet he'd called home so long ago looked peaceful from his seat on the Moon. He saw a hint of green light rise from the Pacific Ocean and followed it with his eyes before realising that it was coming toward him. His breath paused when he saw the figure shrouded in the light. The figure paused, realising that he'd been recognised, but continued on floating closer to the Wanderer.

"Forgive the intrusion but the entity sensed you, and I was curious," he said softly. "I must seem unsettling to you."

"In a good way," the Wanderer replied. He gestured that his visitor join him. "You said entity…you're Ion?"

He nodded. "It is in my blood. I've been host to the Ion entity for over a decade as it heals from a battle…"

"In the galaxy M-87," the Wanderer finished. "I was there."

"I learned that from the entity," his guest smiled softly. "I'm sure that this is probably as strange for you as it is for me."

"Well the fact that you have short hair and the beard goatee combo help," the Wanderer admitted with a chuckle. "You have his father's eyes."

"Oh?"

"His father had purple eyes. His were ice blue."

"I have his name too," the visitor admitted. "My parents took one look at me at birth…"

"And named you Cerdian." The Atlantean nodded.

"I know so many names for you…do you have a preference?" Cerdian asked.

"Whatever you feel comfortable with," the Wanderer shrugged.

"My great-great-great grandmother lovingly referred to you as Poppa in her writings," Cerdian stated. "And since you were one of her three grandfathers, I think I'll use that. If you don't mind."

"So Maya was your three times great grandmother," Poppa mused. "Wow." He counted off on his fingers and looked at Cerdian. "That would make me eight generations removed from you, right?"

"Something like that," Cerdian chuckled.

"You're king?"

Cerdian shook his head. "No. My sister Nayda, beat me out of the womb by five minutes. The lineage continues through her."

"You have a twin sister? Interesting," Poppa mused. "If my recollection of Atlantean history is right, twins have never gone over well in the royal bloodlines."

"Until now, that's been true," Cerdian admitted. "I made it easier for her by looking like our ancestor. Nayda has told me on a few occasions that she is quite happy dealing with the ruling of Atlantis…rather than the burden of history I have to contend with."

Poppa looked distant as memories flooded back to him. "There was no way I could save them," he murmured.

"The accounts state that you had been incapacitated," Cerdian stated. "They performed their duties as king and queen of Atlantis…and saved the world according to the accounts."

"At the cost of their lives," Poppa murmured. "Maya almost joined them in the hereafter."

"She did?" Cerdian balked. "Do you mind sharing?"

"Mila and Ian stayed behind with Maya in Atlantis while Zander and Moon went to what we all thought was the main battle," Poppa murmured.

"Maya was already of age though, wasn't she?" Cerdian asked.

Poppa nodded. "She was twenty seven and pregnant with your great-great grandfather."

"Oh," Cerdian murmured.

"One of the Tamaranian invaders had a magical talisman of extraordinary power," Poppa explained. "It picked up on the raw magical power in Poseidonis and opened a rift. The rift was a portal to some hell dimension. Mila fell defending Ian and Maya as they used their magic to drive the demons back and close the rift."

"You can still feel the spot if you have any hint of magical ability," Cerdian stated. "It has become hallowed ground. A place of pilgrimage for Atlantean sorcerers in training."

Poppa nodded. "The various hosts of Dr Fate over the years have said as much. The Fate from that time couldn't go anywhere near Atlantis for some time because of the raw power Ian had unleashed."

"The current Dr Fate is never comfortable around me. And I don't host nearly the raw power that my ancestor did," Cerdian admitted.

"Even with the Ion entity?"

"What my ancestor summoned that day was arguably the most magical power ever concentrated in one place…in the entire universe," Cerdian stated. He looked up to the Earth shining in the sun. "Are you planning on visiting? Or is this as far as you dare to go?"

"I haven't decided yet," Poppa admitted.

"I can let my sister know to make the palace comfortable for you," Cerdian offered.

"What the hell," Poppa shrugged and rose to his feet. Cerdian let a small smile grace his lips as he closed his eyes and communed with his twin.

"Nayda will be waiting for us," he murmured a moment later and lifted off.

Queen Nayda of Atlantis sat on her throne and awaited her brother and his mysterious guest. She didn't have to ask when she saw them enter. "You still live?" she mused in awe.

Poppa was just as much in awe of Nayda as she was of him. "You're paler and a little taller…but wow. You're not the only one that looks like a dead ringer for an ancestor," he added to Cerdian.

"I look like one of my ancestors?" Nayda marvelled.

"Mila," Poppa answered.

"The queen of the one I resemble slightly," Cerdian mused at his sister's puzzled look.

"I look like Queen Milagro?" Nayda asked.

Poppa nodded. "You look just like her, but you sound completely different." Nayda raised a curious eyebrow. "You're missing the Mexican/Texan accent."

Nayda smiled softly. "I've only been to El Paso once. It is a little too dry there for my liking."

"Ian loved it there," Poppa told her. "I knew them as Mila and Ian," he added to the look the twins shared.

"Ah. That'll make it easier…at least with him," Nayda replied, indicating her brother. "You haven't been on Earth in nearly a century. I am humbled and honoured that you decided to visit us here in Atlantis," she added, changing the subject.

"He invited me," Poppa said, indicating Cerdian.

"I'm surprised you said yes," Cerdian admitted.

"I can only imagine how far your journey here was. Please allow us to make you comfortable," Nayda offered.

Poppa followed the twins to their private wing of the palace and let them fuss over him. Over a simple dinner he gladly regaled them with their ancestral history. As night settled on the surface, the bioluminescent creatures of the deep began drifting up towards the surface. Poppa paused and watched the spectacle that heralded nightfall in the undersea kingdom. "I've been to so many places in the universe and I've never seen anything as amazing as that," he murmured as he watched. The three of them talked long into the night until Poppa asked if he could retire for the night. Nayda and Cerdian led him to a suite of chambers and stated that he only had to ask if he needed anything else. Poppa thanked them and bid them goodnight. He settled into bed and was soon fast asleep and dreaming.

"You took your sweet old time," Lian teased.

"I made it eventually," Chris smirked. "So this is it, huh?"

"Yep," Jai stated next to him.

"For all of us it would seem," Damian added.

"Is what J'onn told you all those years ago, true?" Iris asked.

Chris nodded. "Only it's been a while since I recall us being this young."

"We've come to the conclusion that for us, paradise was this," Sin offered.

"A bunch of barely twenty-somethings terrorising the place," Jai remarked.

"It makes sense though," Milagro added.

"I'm not arguing," Cerdian agreed.

"Your great-great…your grandkids eight generations removed, look just like you two," Chris told Milagro and Cerdian.

"We know," Cerdian replied.

"They have an interesting future ahead of them too," Milagro smiled.

"Shall we?" Lian offered, waving a hand towards the shadowy outline of San Francisco.

"It's not like I have anything else to do," Chris shrugged, holding an arm out for her.

Nayda awoke with a start and dashed for her door, seeing Cerdian open his a second later. "You sensed it too?" Cerdian nodded. Together they went into Poppa's chamber and found him smiling peacefully.

"He was tired," Cerdian stated as he felt with his magics. "That must have been why he accepted my invitation to come here."

"Thank you for spending your last hours with us," Nayda choked, leaning down to place a kiss on the cool skin of Poppa's forehead. She gladly accepted her brother's invitation and leaned against him as they mourned.

Several days passed and the twins were on a windswept plateau in Arizona on an overcast day. The tribal elder commented that she honestly did not expect the private ceremony that had taken place earlier that day, during her lifetime. "Neither did we," Cerdian murmured.

Nayda let her head fall back as the rain started to fall. A vision of eight young people laughing as they walked through a city came to mind and she smiled. "They're rejoicing."

"As the heavens mourn," the elder added.

_A/N II: Even though Zander had a fling with Rana for a while, he ends up with Moon. They have a daughter they name Maya who is the great-great-great grandmother of Nayda and Cerdian II in this story._


	51. San Francisco In The Fog

San Francisco In The Fog

_A/N: I currently live here and the kids are based in a Tower in the Bay. If there's one thing I know well in their world, it is the city they're based in. Oh how I wish there was a T shaped tower outside my kitchen window. San Francisco is constantly socked in with fog. You can get it any time of year and we'll even have it for several weeks straight. The City takes on an almost magical air about it in the fog though, so it isn't all bad. As Sin mentioned in the previous chapter, eternity for them is hanging out in the city and having fun._

"Today's weather calls for chilly and foggy," Sin proclaimed, joining her teammates in the kitchen for breakfast.

"What else is new?" Iris scoffed.

"The City's always chilly and foggy," Milagro muttered.

"I like it," Cerdian offered.

"That's because it's halfway to what you know," Lian teased, pouring a cup of coffee.

"Considering that there's an abhorrent amount of snow on the ground where half of us reside, I'll take the current conditions outside," Damian stated.

"This is true," Milagro agreed.

"It's snowing in El Paso?" Jai asked. Milagro nodded.

"That polar vortex thing stretches down into northern Mexico," Chris informed Jai. "You and Lian might end up with desperate houseguests if this keeps up."

"It's the same at our place as it is here," Lian declared. "If you're all that hard up to escape winter, you can escape to the Tower."

"Don't look at me," Sin laughed. "The apartment I live in with Connor is even smaller than their place," she added, nodding towards the city across the Bay.

"So where are we heading?" Chris asked around a yawn.

"The Tea Gardens?" Sin suggested. "It's spring and everything is blooming."

"Let's just hit the whole park," Jai added.

"Take a picnic and vege around the place?" Iris asked. "Sounds like a plan."

"Morning tea at the Tea Gardens and then screw around the rest of the day at the park," Sin grinned.

"We can drive over in a couple of the cars," Damian suggested.

"Looks like we're all set then," Chris said.

They finished breakfast and packed a picnic to take over to the garage where they had various vehicles parked. They parked a little ways down from the Tea Gardens near a flat area overlooking the ocean. Hiking back up the hill, they arrived just as the gardens opened and paid their admission.

"Wow," Milagro murmured as they followed one of the paths through the gardens. "I was beginning to think you were getting a little too obsessed with coming here," she directed at Sin.

"In the fog, this place is magical," Sin grinned.

Cerdian paused on a bridge over an elaborate koi pond and leaned over to peer at a large golden fish hiding under the bridge. "Why are you being shy?" he asked.

"You have the fish telepathy thing, Ian?" Jai asked.

"No," Cerdian admitted. "I'm just curious as to why this one is hiding." He watched as several other koi swam past and brushed against the shy one and figured out what was going on. "Ah gotcha, you're busy." He looked up at the rest of the pond and studied the other koi swimming around.

"You have a fish orgy going on over there?" Jai asked. Cerdian chuckled and nodded.

"Honestly Jai," Damian muttered, letting his head fall back.

"That's how they breed," Jai pointed out with a cheesy grin.

"After all these years you seriously expect Jai not to exploit a chance to be crude?" Iris asked Damian.

"This is true," Damian sighed.

"Hey Irey?" Lian called out a little ahead of them. "You think you can manage without the coat for a bit?"

"Why?"

"Photo shoot!" Lian grinned, holding up her mobile.

"Hold that," Iris told Chris as she dashed past him and tossed her coat to him.

"Sure," Chris muttered, pulling the coat from his head.

"Irises…seriously?" Iris asked when she saw where Lian wanted to take the pictures.

"Just shut up and look ethereal," Lian laughed. Iris rolled her eyes and undid her braid.

"She doesn't like her namesake flowers?" Sin asked Jai.

"Not particularly," Jai replied. "But then neither does our Aunt Iris."

Chris sidled up next to Damian and watched the photo session for a moment. "I don't see the attraction," he teased.

"Tt," Damian hissed, glaring at Chris out of the corner of his eye.

"Oh these look cool!" Milagro called out, pointing to a patch of dark burgundy coloured irises. They had patches of cream colour on the largest petals.

"Yeah they do," Iris agreed.

"Move down," Lian stated, jerking her thumb towards Milagro's find. Lian took several dozen photos before letting Iris fetch her coat from Chris. "Aunt Donna will get a kick out of these," Lian murmured as she sent the file to Donna Troy.

"Hmm?" Cerdian queried.

"Donna Troy takes advantage of the fact that Lian is a decent photographer with regular access to her favourite model, Iris," Milagro explained.

"We have a pretty good deal set up with Aunty Donna," Iris stated.

"I see," Cerdian replied.

"Don't knock it, she has plans on me exploiting your good looks too," Lian smirked at the Atlantean. He cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Donna's taken advantage of her access to all of us at one point or another," Chris added.

They wandered the gardens until coming upon the elegant Japanese teahouse in the centre of the gardens. They ordered everything on the small menu and found a pair of tables overlooking the largest of the koi ponds in the gardens. The aroma from the various teas they'd ordered warmed them up as they sat and enjoyed the misty morning. Lian snapped photos of all of them as they sipped at their tea or miso soup. Sin managed to snatch the mobile from Lian and returned the favour. Lian gladly played along and did her best to look as elegant as possible with her teacup. The finished their morning tea and left the gardens for the main park.

"Over by the cliff," Chris suggested. They found an area to spread out a couple of blankets and settle in for the day.

"This is about as much as this is lifting, isn't it?" Damian asked, as the fog rose slightly above them.

"It's been socked in for two weeks straight," Sin said. "This is about as clear as I've seen it get."

"It's been the same with us down the coast," Jai offered.

"Who cares?" Cerdian purred as he breathed in deeply. A ball hit him in the back and he glanced out of the corner of his eyes. "Pull that one again and watch what happens, Chris," he playfully warned.

"Uh huh," Chris chuckled and tossed another football at Cerdian. Cerdian side stepped to avoid the ball and Chris launched into the air to catch it as it soared over the cliff.

"There is a roadway down there," Damian pointed out, looking over the edge of the cliff.

"He tossed it hard enough that it would have hit the water," Cerdian assured him.

"Good thing too," Chris muttered as he flew back to the others. Cerdian smirked and snatched the ball from Chris.

"I am assuming that you were suggesting we play with the thing," he teased. He turned and threw it towards where Iris was. She started at a run and caught the ball before tossing it onto her brother. They divided into teams and played football for a while before hunger drove them back to the blankets.

"Okay we have tomato or chicken noodle soup to choose from," Lian stated as she unpacked several thermoses. "And sandwich fixings for days."

"Didn't we have a cooler?" Milagro asked, pulling throw blankets out of a duffle and handing them out.

"Damn it, I'll be back," Chris grimaced and headed for the car with the cooler in it.

"That was creative," Damian commented when he saw how Iris had had packed the cooler. She had a smaller collapsible cooler set inside the larger one with ice for cold drinks and braced it with thermoses of coffee and tea.

"Okay, not what I was expecting for a foggy picnic, but this is nice," Milagro stated, as she snuggled into one of the throw blankets with her lunch.

Sin was looking out at the ocean and spotted something. "Ian?" she asked, pointing to what she'd seen.

Cerdian looked over and narrowed his eyes. "A bull grey whale heading back to his feeding grounds up north," he stated. "An older one by the looks of it too."

"That thing's practically next to the shore," Iris remarked.

"Believe me, he's in no danger of beaching," Cerdian assured her. "The seafloor drops off very quickly just beyond the surf zone."

"Several hundred metres easily," Jai supplied.

"Try several thousand metres," Cerdian corrected. "Go half a mile out and it's over four thousand metres deep."

"Who needs a whale watching cruise?" Lian joked as she spied another whale offshore.

"Can you zoom in?" Sin asked, as Lian held her mobile up to try and catch the whale.

"We'll see…yeah I've got it," she grinned.

"You say that one is an adult?" Milagro asked. Cerdian nodded. "Then what the hell was that thing I saw a couple of weeks ago?"

"What do you mean?" Cerdian asked.

"I was helping with a ship off the Farallons and I saw a whale that was nearly twice that big."

"That would have been a blue whale then," Cerdian informed her. "There's a pretty decent sized population of them just off shore."

"No way. Aren't they like supposed to be virtually impossible to see?" Milagro countered. Cerdian held up a hand and conjured up an image of a whale. "That's what I saw."

"That's a blue whale," Cerdian assured her.

"Whoa…hold up," Jai interrupted. "You mean to tell me that you can go off shore a bit and see blue whales too?" Cerdian nodded.

"Give it another couple of weeks and we can go out there. We'll be more likely to spot one then," Cerdian informed them.

"Who needs some overly perky tour guide when we have a real expert?" Sin teased, pointing to Cerdian.

"I'll give them credit for trying, but they really don't a thing about whales," Cerdian scoffed.

"What are you doing, D?" Iris asked, as Damian fiddled with his mobile.

"Clearing my calendar. I want to see this," Damian replied.

"Out of curiosity…what else are we likely to see out there?" Chris asked.

Cerdian reeled slightly. "People have no idea of the rich biodiversity just off the coast." He went on to list off what all they could possibly see on their planned trip.

The team watched for whales and chatted for a while when they were suddenly joined by Connor Hawke. "Hi, what are you doing here?" Lian asked, as she got up to hug him.

"I was jogging in the park and saw you guys," he replied. "Thanks," he added, as they made room for him to join them.

"We're going whale watching in a couple of weeks off the Farallons…wanna come with?" Sin offered.

"If you don't mind, I'd like that," Connor replied.

"There's no such thing as too many pairs of sharp eyes," Damian suggested.

"We'd be glad to have you," Cerdian offered.

Connor and the team enjoyed chatting as the fog started getting thicker. "You have plans for dinner?" Jai asked.

"There's a new Turkish place that opened just around the corner from our place," Connor replied. "I've been hearing great things about it."

"Sold!" Iris piped up.

"You'd be sold if it was hot dogs," Lian pointed out.

"Food is food, I don't care," Iris countered.

"If you don't mind heading back to my place real quick so I can change, we'll go?" Connor suggested.

They agreed and Connor helped them pack up. At the apartment Connor and Sin shared, Connor went to his room to change his clothes, and Sin peeked into the refrigerator. "I'll stop off at the shops on the way home tomorrow," she told Connor as she made a mental list.

"I'll meet you at the wharf and we can both go," Connor told her.

They headed downstairs and out to the street. Around the nearest corner they came upon the restaurant Connor had mentioned and headed in. It was fairly early and the team was seated quickly. Connor chuckled as the team shared a look and decided to order anything that looked good to share. "I'm telling you, Dude…we do this all the time," Lian informed him.

"I'd believe it," he smiled. "I think Roy mentioned once that it was Titan's law."

"It probably is," Lian agreed.

Later when they finished, Damian accepted the cheque and the others handed Damian their portion of the bill. Damian added a large tip to the total and they left. At the entrance to Connor and Sin's apartment, they bid Connor good night and thanked him for joining them for dinner.

"I'll meet up with you tomorrow, Little Sister," he said as he hugged Sin and then Lian. He watched until they pulled away and head back to the Tower before heading up to his apartment to get ready to go on patrol for the evening.

"Today was perfect," Milagro purred once they reached the island.

A loud crunching screech rang out across the water and they flinched at the piercing noise. "And it's back to business as usual," Chris sighed.

Two tour ferries had crashed into each other on their way back to port. Cerdian dived into the Bay as Chris and Milagro lifted off into the air towards the distressed ferries. The rest of the team joined them shortly and helped to get passengers to shore on boats made from Green Lantern's ring, while Superboy and Surge kept the ferries afloat.

From the roof of Ghirardelli Square, Green Arrow watched and saw that the Titans had everything under control. He smiled softly and headed towards the Richmond neighbourhood to continue his patrol.


	52. Father

Father

_A/N: I wrote 'Mother' while in one of my very rare maternal moods…it's only fair that I give the kid's dads their due._

_**The Father Who Is Also A Brother**_

Roy Harper shook his head at the two girls in amusement. Lian had sought out a particular guide at the site and Sin was listening in rapt attention as the Lakota woman shared stories of her people's greatest hero. "Cynthia appears to be enjoying herself," a voice chimed in, off to Roy's side.

"Sin never appears to do anything, Carrie. What you see is what you get," Roy replied.

"One who avoids masks," Carrie mused. "Interesting."

"Sin had an appalling upbringing in the social skills," Roy reminded Carrie. "She doesn't see the purpose in masks."

"That's not always a bad thing," Carrie smiled. "Well the upbringing thing is, but…you get what I mean." Roy laughed.

"You are seriously lacking in the 'innate wisdom' department for a tribal chief," he teased.

"That's an overly portrayed stereotype," Carrie dismissed with good humour.

"I know," Roy smiled. "I just couldn't help it." Carrie smacked his shoulder as they both laughed.

Lian and Sin led the Lakota guide to Roy and Carrie and made introductions. "Chief Smiling Water, Dad, this is Shelley Red Cloud. Shelley, Chief Carrie Smiling Water and my father Roy Harper," Lian introduced.

"We've met before?" Carrie asked Shelley.

"We have. When you brought your tribe's offerings for the museum," Shelley replied. "I'm sorry I missed the chance to meet up with you last year when you came back here with Lian," she added. After the Titan's road trip, Lian and Carrie had made sure that Roy went with them to the Crazy Horse monument in South Dakota. Lian had been told that Shelley was unfortunately unavailable, as she had to tend to personal business.

"No worries," Roy waved off. "Lian speaks very highly of you."

"The rest of them that were here, do too," Sin added.

"My deepest thanks for taking such good care of my young friends," Carrie told Shelley.

"They made it easy with their genuine interest in our history and this project," Shelley beamed with pride.

"Are we keeping you from your guide duties?" Roy asked.

"Nope," Shelley replied. "With the pow wow going on, we were asked to take care of whoever we got first."

"And I made sure we got her first," Lian grinned.

"She sent me an email to keep an eye out for you guys," Shelley said as she led them to the museum portion of the monument. "The elders decided to use the museum as the check in for the pow wow," she added.

Carrie signed in for her band as Roy spied an area where some of the native guests were marking their faces. Shelley saw how Roy painted Lian and Sin's faces and puzzled. "I have a question?" she asked Carrie. "Isn't that your band's mark for sister?"

Carrie looked over and saw what Shelley was wondering about. "While she's only a few months older than Lian, Cynthia is Roy's adopted sister."

"Oh!"

Sin was curious as well why her mark differed from Lian. "That's because you're my sister…not my daughter," Roy explained.

"Oh, duh," Sin replied. "I didn't know that there were different ones."

"If I were really hard up for entertainment, I could go up one whole side of you," Roy told Sin.

"He's kidding, because that's reserved for weddings back home," Lian added, elbowing Roy.

"Good luck marrying me off," Sin snorted.

"These guys respect tough women," Roy teased.

"Luckily for you, Dad will treat any guy you bring home the same way he'd treat anyone I brought home," Lian added.

"I'm cool with Jai," Roy reminded her.

"Which is why Jai gets threatened at least once a visit," Lian shot right back. Sin howled in laughter.

"Think if Jai wasn't the son of one of my best friends, huh?" Roy retorted.

Lian gave the idea some thought and nodded. "I'll give you that one."

"Well then I should probably warn you now," Sin piped up. "A monk I grew up with in Nepal has decided to leave the monastery and eventually meet up with me. After he's done some travelling."

"You're hooking up with a monk?" Roy asked.

"In a few years. And not hooking up the way you're thinking," Sin replied. "Deshi was never suited for monastic life. He's more the 'interact with the faithful' type."

"Deshi? How old is he?" Roy asked. Lian rolled her eyes at his tone.

"Two years older than us," Sin replied, indicating herself and Lian. "And good luck getting the upper hand on him…he loved training with me," she smirked.

"That's cheating," Roy muttered.

"He's crooked as hell, you'll love him," Sin added.

"I bet I will," Roy drawled sarcastically.

Years later, Sin took great delight in reminding Roy of the conversation at the Crazy Horse monument. Roy and Deshi were sharing beers and playing cards with Ollie and Jai and getting along famously.

_**On The Beat**_

"Perry's not going to rip my face off is he?" Chris asked, as he held the door for his father at the Daily Planet.

Clark laughed. "No. Perry's not going to rip your face off," he assured Chris. "Try to convince you to change career goals maybe."

"What's wrong with wanting to go into journalism?" Chris asked, as they waited for the elevator.

"Perry tries to convince any journalism student he meets, that it's a lousy job," Clark explained.

"On what planet?" Chris asked. Clark laughed hard enough that he had to wipe a tear from his eye. "What? I'm serious," Chris stated.

"I know. I just find it funny that's all," Clark replied. The elevator opened and Clark pushed the button for the bullpen.

"Kent! Who is this?" Perry White demanded when Clark and Chris ventured into the bullpen a few minutes later.

"Christopher. Lois' and my son?" Clark replied.

"How old are you?" Perry asked Chris.

"Twenty two next month, Sir," Chris replied.

"Already?" Perry marvelled.

Clark shrugged. "They grow up fast."

"I'll say," Perry agreed. "So what's he doing here? Is it bring your kid to work day?"

Chris bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing as Clark answered. "Chris is in journalism school and I figured that I'd show him the ropes."

"You don't want to be a journalist, Kid. The pay's lousy and the perks are over rated," Perry told Chris.

"I was already told that by my parents, Sir. I just like writing and journalism is at least a guaranteed paycheque for a writer," Chris replied.

Perry White glanced between the two. "How many years do you left in school?"

"I have one more semester before I graduate, Sir."

"Money wasted if you ask me," Perry muttered. "Alright Kent, you want to show him the ropes, I have a beat job for you. Rumour has it that Metropolis U has a money scandal brewing. See what you can find."

"You got it," Clark replied.

"And I have a job for you too," Perry directed at Chris. "Watch how your old man does things and submit your own take on the story. I won't publish it, but I want to see if you're cut out for this line of work."

"Thank you," Chris grinned, and offered his hand to Perry. Perry shook it and told Chris not thank him yet. Perry wandered back towards his office and Clark looked to Chris.

"Show me what you've got," he suggested, and indicated Lois' desk.

Chris smirked and powered up his mother's computer. "What's Mom's password?" he murmured just loud enough for Clark to hear.

"Our species, lower case K, the rest in caps," Clark replied over a faked cough.

Perry looked over in interest and wandered towards the pair to see what they were up to. "How much has Jai shown you?" Clark asked Chris.

"Loads, but I don't need any of it for this," Chris replied. He pulled up a government website where the annual revenue of organisations was free to explore. "I figure the LM-2's would be a good place to start…and low and behold I'm right," he grinned.

"What have you got?" Clark asked as he leaned forward to better see the screen.

"The last two years are interesting," Chris purred. "Last year's has sections left completely blank. There's a red flag if there was ever one."

"Uh-huh," Clark encouraged.

"Metro U in Gotham is roughly the same size as Metropolis U," Chris murmured. "I wonder," he added, opening a second window and pulling up the second university's financial records. Chris printed out the records he was looking at and records for several more randomly picked universities, before focusing on Metropolis U's records again. "Since when do schools donate to people?" Chris asked.

"Grants," Clark replied.

"Nope. It has grants listed as well as donations to three individual women," Chris stated. "All for ten grand. And it specifically says 'donation'," he added. Chris printed up the records and organised all of them by school on the desk.

Clark glanced over at Perry and smiled to himself when he saw the hint of impressed look on the editor's face. Chris pulled a highlighter from Lois' pen jar and began highlighting figures he found interesting. "Hey Dad? How about we find out who these three lovely ladies are and see what they have to say, before taking this to Secretary Treasurer Robbins?" Chris suggested.

"Sounds like a plan," Clark agreed.

"I have a question?" Perry piped up and looked at Chris. "How did you know to go to the LM-2's first?"

"My first year at school," Chris replied. "My professor said that if we were ever doing a story on possible financial fraud to hit the LM-2's and then go on from there."

"Good job," Perry commented. "I'm actually looking forward to seeing what you two dig up."

"Thanks!" Chris grinned.

"Get to it," Perry dismissed them.

The rumours Perry White had heard turned out to be far more delicious than he expected. Chris had taken the lead at Clark's insistence and they had found that the three women all reluctantly admitted that the donations were actually silence payments. The treasurer had a reputation as a womaniser, and to avoid being sued for his actions, he had used school funds to pay off the trio. The files Chris had found also showed that the treasurer was using school funds to pay his own personal legal fees. Clark's version of the story that was printed in the Daily Planet led to the treasurer being fired, as well as indicted on fraud charges. Perry read over Chris' version of the story and immediately saw that his writing style was vastly different from Clark's as well as Lois'. Though he would never admit it out loud, Perry felt that Chris had a promising future in journalism.

_**Don't Mess With Papi's Girl**_

Alberto Reyes figured that the customer was probably a year or two older than his daughter as he explained that his check engine light kept coming on. Alberto had the young man lead him out to the car and immediately suspected several reasons for the concern. "I'll run it through the computer and tell you what it says," Alberto informed the young man. Alberto told the customer to take a seat in the office after accepting his keys and drove the car into the shop. Popping the hood, he raised his eyebrows at what he saw. The initial suspicion he had was the most likely cause he figured, as he plugged the car into the computer. "Ay Dios mio…mi hija?"

"Que?" Milagro called out from the engine of a car she was working on.

"How much longer do you have on that one?" Alberto asked.

"About ten minutes," Milagro replied. "Why?"

"I have your next job right here," Alberto told her. Curious, Milagro stopped what she was doing and wandered over to her father.

Cleaning her hands on a rag she smirked. "Let me guess why you want me to do this one?" she teased, holding up one of her hands.

Alberto chuckled. "I won't be able to get these in there," he said, holding up one of his own hands.

"Okay Papi. I just need to replace the air filter on that one and then I'll take a look at this one," Milagro said, heading back to the car she'd been working on.

Alberto got the print out from the computer and took it into the office to go over it with the customer. "Whoever helped put the engine customisations together wasn't very good," he explained. Alberto explained what all codes from the printout meant and gave an estimate of the total cost. The young man grimaced a little but agreed to the price and signed off on the work order Alberto wrote up. He said he had a ride waiting for him when Alberto offered one if he needed it.

Milagro brought in the keys to the car she'd just finished working on and the work order with all of her notes. "Did he peg another shop or was it a do it yourself job?" she asked, handing the keys and work order to the office manager, Martina.

"I'm betting that it's a do it yourself job," Alberto replied, handing Milagro the print out and work order.

"When are these idiots going to learn that if you want to soup up your jalopy, you take it to a professional?" Milagro muttered as she read the list of codes the computer had printed.

Martina chuckled from her desk. "If they did that, we'd be out of business, Mija."

"True," Milagro agreed. A majority of the business they got were young men who had tried to modify their cars on their own only to have to bring it in to get it done correctly.

"Call me if you need anything," Alberto told his daughter as she wandered back out to the garage. She gave a salute off her brow in acknowledgment.

Fifteen minutes later, she was leaning in the door to the office and calling out for him. "Papi? Come check this out. I found the problem." Alberto followed her back to the car and Milagro leaned over to point to the problem she'd found. "Everything on this is brand name except this valve and connector," she explained. "Instead of dropping the one seventy five on the matching brand parts, he went off the rack and spent probably forty for a generic." Milagro slipped on a glove and slid two fingers into the tiny opening of the valve and pulled it out for Alberto to see.

"The fit's all wrong," Alberto sighed.

"You better call that guy and get his okay to drop another four hundred for the right parts and the engine flushing I'm going to have to do because of all the metal filings in the system," Milagro huffed. "I'm not touching it any further until he knows what he screwed up. And if he doesn't believe you, tell him to come down here and I'll gladly show him," she added. Alberto made mental notes of the brand name and generic parts and went and made the call. "Stupid pendejo," Milagro muttered under her breath, glaring at the car.

Alberto came out and Milagro raised an eyebrow. "He's coming here," Alberto grinned.

"I'm going to enjoy this," Milagro purred.

"Be nice mi hija," Alberto playfully scolded.

"No."

"Be nice," Alberto said a little more forcefully.

"You don't pay me to be nice," Milagro countered. "That's what Martina's for," she added, pointing towards the front office. They both saw a car pull into the lot with the customer. "That was quick." Alberto went into the office to meet the customer while Milagro went to her file cabinet where she kept ruined parts salvaged from previous jobs.

"Greg, this is Milagro and she'll explain what the issue is," Alberto told the young man as he led him out to the garage.

"Who did the original modifications?" Milagro asked Greg.

"My friend and I did," he answered warily.

Milagro clicked her tongue and pointed to the generic valve and connector. "This particular brand of engine requires brand parts. You can't go generic with any of these pieces," she explained. She went on to explain that since they were precision fitted, that generics didn't fit properly. Handing Greg a glove, she instructed him to put his finger into the valve and see what came out.

"What's this?" Greg asked when he saw the metal filings.

"A really expensive short cut," Milagro replied. "In an effort to save a hundred or so bucks, you put in an ill-fitting valve and connector that are vibrating harshly against each other and stripping the threading…thereby giving you a ton of filings." Greg looked over at Alberto, who only nodded. Milagro frowned behind Greg's back before continuing. "Hopefully you didn't drive this around with the check engine light on for any length of time," she stated when Greg turned back to her. "As it is, the correct replacement parts will be a hundred and seventy five dollars. And the cost to flush the engine of the filings in it is two hundred and twenty five."

"Ouch," Greg muttered.

"If the filings got into the block then you have a real problem," Milagro stated. She picked up a damaged piston that she'd retrieved from her collection. "If the filings got into the engine, it'll take them no time at all to reduce your pistons to this," she explained, handing over the one she had to Greg.

Greg sagged a little. "How many days before you know what kind of damage there is?" he asked.

"I'll know in about three hours," Milagro stated. "Although the earliest you'll be getting your car back is three days," she added. "No one in the Border-Plex carries this brand. We have to order the correct parts from a supplier in Dallas."

"Worst case scenario," Greg asked. "How much am I looking at?"

"You're already up to an extra four hundred," Milagro admitted. "Worst case scenario where I have to replace everything is what? Twelve hundred…fifteen hundred?" she asked Alberto.

"Roughly thirteen fifty," Alberto supplied.

Greg sighed. "Okay, do whatever you need to do," he told them. "Call me and let me know how bad it is?"

"I'll call later today once Milagro's checked everything," Alberto promised. He led Greg back out to the office and Milagro returned the damaged piston to her collection. Cracking her knuckles, she got to work dismantling the engine block to check how bad it looked. "You enjoyed that too much," Alberto teased, returning to the garage.

"Trust fund boy deserved it for the 'does she even know what a car is' attitude," Milagro retorted. Alberto laughed and left her to it as she went to work. Several hours later, Milagro strolled into his office with a large grin plastered on her face. "Not totally worst case scenario, but pretty damn close," she stated, placing the shredded pieces she'd removed from the engine on his desk.

"Wow," Alberto commented. "He must have been driving on that for a while."

"Uh-huh," Milagro smirked. "You call Greggie and I'll call Juanito and place my order."

Three days later, Greg came to pick up his car and Milagro had all the damaged parts along with a jar containing all the filings she'd flushed from the system on a cart for him to see. Alberto bit his lip to keep from laughing as Milagro patiently explained just how costly Greg's short cut had been. Greg went into the office with Alberto to pay for the work and left with his car. The following week, a bouquet of flowers and a thank you note arrived for Milagro. "Aw how sweet," Milagro smirked as she read the note. "Too bad for Greg I have a real prince of a man already." Alberto nearly choked as he howled in laughter when said prince walked in a few minutes later to pick up Milagro for a dinner date.

"What am I missing?" Cerdian asked.

"Nothing. Your timing is just spot on…as always," Milagro replied, handing Cerdian the note to read. Alberto told Cerdian the whole story while Milagro excused herself to wash up.

Cerdian cracked an amused smile and nodded towards where Milagro had gone. "She's a handful for me," he admitted. "I have the sneaking suspicion that this poor soul wouldn't stand a chance," he mused, holding up the note.

"They never do, Mijo," Alberto chuckled. "Have fun," he wished them a couple of minutes later once Milagro returned and left the shop with Cerdian.

_**So Much For Getting Away From It All**_

Damian Wayne slowed his pace to match Dick Grayson's leisurely one. They found the king of Shayeris and his heir lounging in a small rec room on the second floor of the Tower. Dick was about to speak but paused and simply stared at Garth. He'd never seen the Atlantean wear eye glasses before. Damian glanced over at his eldest brother and shook his head. "I'm informing Barbara," he chided.

"Hmm?" Garth asked, looking up from his reading.

Damian smirked. "Your need of reading glasses has triggered Richard's spectacles fetish."

"I hate you," Dick muttered at Damian.

"No you don't," Damian countered.

Garth ran his tongue along his upper teeth and playfully lowered his reading glasses. "I'm so sorry to inform you, Dick…but it would never work," he teased. "You're a married man and I fear and respect Barbara far too much to go behind her back…as tempting as that would be." Cerdian nearly slid off the sofa as he howled in laughter. "Besides," Garth sighed. "My current paramour tends to be a bit jealous. Not to mention she has really sharp teeth."

Dick's cheeks flushed pink as he elbowed Damian in the ribcage. Damian could only offer a weak protest as he leaned heavily against the wall in laughter. "Anyway," Dick stated. "We just came by to tell you that we're heading back to Gotham. This just came for you," he added, handing over a large official envelope from the nearby Atlantean embassy. "And I want to know when Bruce can expect that business proposal."

Garth handed the envelope over to Cerdian, who opened it and peered inside. "Give me a minute here and you can take the proposal with you," he informed Dick, downloading it onto a flash drive.

"What would be the best way to contact you and let you know what Bruce thinks?" Dick asked, accepting the flash drive.

"The easiest way would be to have Damian inform Ian," Garth replied. Cerdian looked up from the papers he'd pulled from the envelope while Damian nodded.

"That I will do," Dick said. "Alright, we're out of here. See you later," he added as he turned to leave.

"Bye," Garth playfully teased. Damian and Cerdian burst into laughter again as Dick glared at Garth.

"You done?"

"I'll never tire of amusing myself at your expense," Garth vowed. "Ever. You should know this by now."

Dick rolled his eyes and grabbed Damian by the collar. "C'mon smart ass. I'm siccing Cass on you when we get home."

Garth leaned back with a satisfied smirk on his face and looked over at Cerdian when the younger man took a deep breath to calm down. "I have a question. If he wasn't married, would you?"

Garth shrugged. "I wasn't kidding about the tempting part," he admitted. "Dare I ask, what's that?" he asked, indicating the papers Cerdian was flipping through.

Cerdian smirked. "A missive that only the King of Shayeris is qualified to handle," he stated, handing the papers over.

"I'll be the judge of that," Garth retorted. He squinted at the fine print and placed his reading glasses back on. "Would it be an abuse of power if I made it a royal decree that all official business be printed in no smaller than twelve point font?"

"Someone would be bound to complain," Cerdian replied. He picked up the piece of jewellery he'd been working on before Dick and Damian had come into the room.

"Probably," Garth agreed and then groaned. "You're kidding me?"

"Told you," Cerdian said in a sing song voice.

Garth flipped through the papers for a few seconds before tossing them onto the table in disgust. "You're backing me up I tell them that we were too busy to attend to that sooner," he informed his son.

Cerdian gave a salute off his brow. "As his majesty wishes," he said.

"Talisman making was never my strong suit," Garth admitted as he watched Cerdian fiddle with the piece he was working on.

"You lack the long slender fingers for it," Cerdian told him, waving his for effect. "And this is a birthday present for the mother in law," he added. "We were at the mall last time I was in El Paso and Bianca really admired a pair of earrings on display in this one shop."

"Mother in law?" Garth asked, raising an eyebrow.

"She may as well be, given the way she treats me practically like her own son," Cerdian shrugged.

"Ah," his father conceded. "Why didn't you just buy her the earrings when she wasn't looking?" Garth asked.

"Because they were ridiculously over priced for substandard material."

"Huh?"

"This is pure gold," Cerdian stated, holding up the earring. "The ones in the shop were gold plated."

"Gotcha." Garth eyed the papers and reluctantly reached for them.

"I thought we were too busy to attend to that now," Cerdian pointed out.

"I know," Garth sighed. "But I figure we may as well give it a shot now."

"We?"

"Yes. We," Garth retorted. "What ever happened to the Idyllists thinking of me as the scourge to everything they hold dear?" he muttered after a while.

"You failed to drop dead when they abandoned you at birth, and have gone on to save them so many times since then that they let it slide?" Cerdian provided.

Garth chuckled. "How much effort do you put into coming up with those lines?"

"Virtually none," Cerdian replied, studying the pair of earrings to see if they were perfectly matched. "It's a gift."

"Alright then, gifted one," Garth teased as Cerdian adjusted the hook on one of the earrings. "How does this sound?" he asked, and rattled off his idea.

Cerdian stared wide eyed into space and pondered his father's suggestion. "Wouldn't you need parliamentary approval first?"

"Believe me, this will be going before parliament," Garth assured him. "I just want to have this as concise as possible before it does."

"Going by what I saw skimming through those, you can eliminate about half of the pages just by dropping the excess language the author used," Cerdian replied.

"Having it re-drafted is part of my plan," Garth admitted. "So?"

"See if the re-draft makes more sense before tackling that," Cerdian dismissed, focusing on the earrings again.

"I like that plan," Garth agreed. He placed the papers back in the envelope and scrawled a note across it to have it re-drafted.

"Do you want to play hooky from our royal duties for another day?" Cerdian asked, setting the earrings in a gift box. Garth raised a curious eyebrow. "Bianca's birthday is tomorrow and we're planning on surprising her with a dinner party."

"In that case, I'll commission you to make a matching necklace to go with those as my gift to her," Garth replied.

"Way ahead of you," Cerdian smirked, and held up the finished piece he'd already made.

_**We've Never Been Cut Out To Just Relax**_

Damian was leaning back on the sofa and playing with Nefertiti when Bruce hobbled in with the aid of a cane. "How's your leg, Father?" Damian asked, rising to help Bruce into his favourite chair.

Bruce hissed as he sat down then thanked Damian for his help. "It'll be at least another two weeks before the fractures heal enough for me to get back out there," he growled.

"Alfred will wager you three," Damian pointed out, returning to the sofa. "Don't deny it, Father. You know Pennyworth will win that argument," he added at the dismissive look Bruce gave him.

"Hnn," Bruce grunted. He picked up the day's copy of the Daily Planet and began reading. "I never liked that man," he murmured.

"Who?" Damian asked.

"The soon to be former secretary treasurer of Metropolis U," Bruce replied and read the expose Clark Kent had written. As Bruce read aloud, Damian texted Chris to see what he knew about the story. "…sources were reluctant at first when questioned, but ultimately provided the information that uncovered the mishandling of university funds," Bruce read.

Damian checked his mobile and read the message Chris had sent him. "According to Christopher, the story behind the story is rather entertaining."

"Oh?" Bruce asked, as Damian demanded details in a response. They didn't have to wait long for Chris' reply.

"Take a look at the last two years' worth of LM-2's," Damian read aloud. He sent his thanks to Chris and set his mobile aside. "I'll get it," Damian said when he realised that Alfred had put away the laptop that Bruce kept in the living room. He quickly returned with his father's laptop as well as his own.

"Thank you," Bruce said as Damian handed his to him.

"How do you know of this Robbins person?" Damian asked.

"He used to be the secretary treasurer at Vreeland Enterprises some years back," Bruce replied. "Something about him never sit right with me."

"Do you recall when he worked for Vreeland?" Damian asked.

Bruce closed his eyes for a moment as he recalled what he knew. "He got the Metropolis U job in twenty twelve. He left Vreeland Enterprises to take the university position."

Damian glanced over at Bruce's screen and boggled at what he saw. "How was he not investigated earlier?"

"Good question," Bruce murmured.

"You go through those while I go through the Vreeland records?" Damian suggested.

"Do it," Bruce told him.

"Is there anything I should keep an eye out for?" Damian asked as he found the records he was looking for.

"See if Dearborn Law firm in New York is listed anywhere either in expenses or miscellaneous," Bruce replied. "And anything that looks unusual in the miscellaneous expenditures."

"I have Dearborn listed three separate times in the twenty eleven report," Damian stated. "For a total of nine thousand three hundred and seventeen dollars."

"Look in miscellaneous for donations to individual women," Bruce suggested.

"I don't have donations listed. However I have several 'gifts' listed ranging from five to ten thousand dollars," Damian stated.

"Start compiling them," Bruce instructed. "May I use your phone?" he asked and Damian handed it over. "Veronica? Are you busy at the moment? I might have something of interest to show you. I'm at the manor, feel free to drop in when you can. Alright, I'll see then. Bye," he said, finishing his call and returning Damian's mobile to him.

"So when should we expect Miss Vreeland's company?" Damian asked.

"She has an appointment she can't skip. She said she'll be by afterwards," Bruce replied.

"I'll inform Alfred to bring her right to us," Damian said and excused himself to find the butler.

Nefertiti stretched and hopped down from the sofa to wander over to Bruce. "Hello," he said when she jumped into his lap. "My cast is not a scratching post," he playfully scolded her.

"Yes it is," Damian said as he returned. "She's the reason my sling looked the way it did earlier this year."

Bruce got Nefertiti to stop clawing at his cast and resumed his work. Nefertiti decided that she was comfortable in his lap and curled up to take a nap. "I'm seeing a pattern," Bruce stated after a while. "Several years of suspicious reports, preceded by two or three years of clean ones."

"So far I only have the three years leading up to his move to Metropolis U," Damian added. "Everything before twenty oh nine is clean."

"He started working for Veronica in the nineties," Bruce supplied.

"I was about to ask that, thank you," Damian murmured.

After an hour, Alfred led Veronica Vreeland into the living room. "Sit down Bruce," she scolded, as he made to stand. "You have a broken leg." Damian barely hid a smirk as he stood in acknowledgement of her arrival and went to fetch a chair for her.

"Is there anything I can get you, Miss?" Alfred asked.

"Gin and tonic please," Veronica replied, as she took a seat in the chair Damian held out for her. "Thank you Damian." He nodded to her and returned to the sofa.

"Make it heavy on the gin, Alfred," Bruce added, as the butler left to get the requested drink.

"Oh?"

"Read this," he said, handing the newspaper over to Veronica.

"Marcus Robbins? He used to work for me," she said, as she read.

"Mmhmm," Bruce murmured. "That's a rather interesting read."

"Clark Kent," Veronica stated, reading the by line. "What does this have to do with me?" she asked.

"I'm friends with Mr Kent's son, Christopher. I texted him for more information on the story and his reply was rather intriguing," Damian replied, handing over his mobile with the text Chris had sent him.

"So you two looked at the LM-2's and found what?" Veronica asked, handing Damian's mobile back to him. "Thank you Alfred," she added when he returned with her drink.

"While I went over the Metropolis U records, I had Damian go over yours," Bruce explained.

"I found a pattern similar to the one Kent found for his story," Damian added, handing over his compiled notes.

"Dearborn Law?" she asked, taking a sip of her drink.

"A law firm in New York that specialises in civil suits," Bruce replied. Veronica raised a sculpted eyebrow at him.

"Excuse me a moment," she said, taking out her mobile and walking to the far side of the living room. "Miss Lane? This is Veronica Vreeland. Is your husband available?" Bruce and Damian listened in discretely as Veronica spoke to Clark. "I can get your personal number from Bruce? Thank you very much, I'll see you later this week," she added, finishing up the conversation. "My apologies," she said as she returned to her seat. She downed her drink and Bruce winced slightly.

"Can I have Alfred get you another?" he asked, as she placed the glass back on the table.

"No thanks. I'll be abusing those when I get home," she replied. "Clark Kent said I could get his personal number from you?" Veronica added.

"I have it," Damian said and handed over his mobile.

"Thanks. I have business in Metropolis later this week and Kent is willing to talk off the record with me," she said as she handed the mobile back. Damian entered the website into a text message and sent it to her.

"That's where you'll find the information we did," Damian told her. Veronica thanked him and got up to take her leave. "I'll escort you," Damian offered.

"Thank you again for your initiative. I truly appreciate it," Veronica said as she bid Bruce good night.

"No need," Bruce assured her. "If there's anything else, feel free to ask. I'll gladly help."

Veronica thanked him again and allowed Damian to lead her to her car. "She's livid," he said when he returned to the living room.

"Yes she is," Bruce smirked.

"That was fun," Damian commented, leaning back on the sofa and attempting to get Nefertiti's attention. She leapt from Bruce's lap over to Damian's and he resumed playing with her.

"I'm bored," Bruce groaned after a few minutes.

"We're incapable of relaxing, aren't we?" Damian chuckled.

"Yeah we are," Bruce agreed. "Want to see what else we can dig up on Robbins?"

"Twist my arm," Damian grinned, sitting up and reaching for his laptop.

_**We're Telling Mom**_

Wally West ambled to the lounge on the Watchtower and was surprised to see his children sharing a sofa near one of the massive windows. "What are you two still doing here?" he asked.

"We figured we'd head home with you," Iris offered.

"I still have another hour or so up here," Wally stated. "J'onn wants to debrief me when he's done with Kyle."

"We can wait," Jai shrugged.

"Up to you," Wally said dismissively. "Hey Fire," he added as the green haired beauty walked in.

"It was so good to see you again," Fire said as she went up to Wally and hugged him. "It's been too long," she added kissing each of his cheeks.

Jai and Iris shared a look and grinned at the affectionate display. "We are so telling Mom," Jai smirked.

"I'm sorry?" Fire asked, turning and seeing the twins for the first time.

"Bea, my son and daughter, Jai and Irey," Wally sighed as he introduced his teammate to the twins.

"Wow. She looks just like you," Fire exclaimed about Iris. Iris waved her fingers and gave Fire a cheesy grin. Fire saw the mischievous look on Jai's face and narrowed her eyes at him. "I see that look Smart Guy," she scolded playfully. "Your Papa is a very old and very dear friend. Nothing more."

"Gotcha," Jai grinned.

"They're not buying it are they?" Fire asked Wally.

Wally shook his head. "Even if they did, I'm still not off the hook." Fire's face fell in concern and he smiled ruefully at her. "Sadly this is not the first time this has happened," he told her. "Tora…Vixen."

"Zatanna!" the twins piped up.

Fire smothered a laugh with her hand and placed an understanding hand on Wally's shoulder. "I'll go before you get into any more trouble," she offered. "I have to go anyway," she added when a summons for her rang out over the Watchtower P.A.

"I'll see you later," Wally said as Fire turned to leave.

"Be nice," she playfully scolded Jai and Iris.

"Hell no," Jai laughed.

"Nice meeting you," Iris added.

"You too…I think. Bye," she added before leaving. The twins watched her leave before turning their focus on their father.

Wally sighed. "Get it out of your systems."

"No wonder you wanted to get rid of us," Iris teased.

"You've got a hot Brazilian on the side…pun fully intended," Jai added.

"Like you don't have a wandering eye," Wally scoffed at Jai.

"Lian's usually standing right there if I flirt with some random girl," Jai admitted freely.

"This is true," Iris said.

Wally rubbed at his brow. "Of all the shit he could have inherited from me," he muttered.

"Uncle Roy was very forthcoming about you as a teenager," Iris offered.

"I'll bet he was," Wally groaned as he sat down on the sofa between the twins. "For the record," he started. "There was a mutual interest there, many, many years ago…before I met your mother. Nothing ever came of it and your mother is very well aware of it," he explained.

"Ooo confession!" Iris grinned. "We didn't get that with any of the others."

"That's because there's nothing to confess about the others," Wally retorted, shooting Iris a look.

"You sure?" Jai teased. Wally glared at him. "I'm just checking. Confession is good for the soul."

"I can break your kneecaps before you can even blink," Wally warned his son. Jai just laughed. Wally held a hand up to silence the twins then stood up. "J'onn just summoned me. Stay here. Behave. I'll only be a few minutes and then we're heading straight home." He hadn't made it out the door when Jai and Iris started howling in laughter.

"Are you alright?" J'onn asked when Wally joined him.

Wally sighed. "I just wish I'd drowned my two in a bucket when I had a chance," he muttered. J'onn chuckled in understanding and bid Wally to take a seat.

"I'll be quick then," the Martian promised and began his debriefing.

Linda Park-West took one look at her husband and children and knew that she was in for a fun story. "So how was it?" she asked.

"Daddy introduced us to Fire," Iris grinned.

"Ahhh, the one he had the hots for supposedly," Linda grinned, folding her arms across her chest.

"So we were told," Jai smirked.

"It's been a long day. I'm tired. And I'm going to bed," Wally stated. "Knock yourselves out," he muttered as he headed upstairs.

"Night," Linda called out.

"Night Daddy!" Iris added.

"Later Playah!" Jai cackled. All three of them burst into laughter when Wally growled darkly at his son from the top of the stairs.

"How hard a time did you two give him?" Linda asked, wiping at her eye.

"Oh my God! It was epic!" Iris exclaimed.

"Dad threatened to break my kneecaps," Jai laughed.

"I'll be nice to him then," Linda chuckled. "I've met Bea a few times," she added. "She's a sweetheart."

"I can see what Dad saw in her," Jai commented and let out a low whistle. Iris and Linda both shot him a look. "What? Dad's not the only one who likes 'em exotic."

"Of everything you could inherit from Wally, you get that one," Linda remarked.

"Among other things…thank God," Jai said, giving her a pointed look.

Linda picked up a throw pillow and smacked Jai with it. "Get to bed!" Jai laughed and bid his mother and sister good night, before retiring for the night. Linda glanced over at Iris. "Please tell me he's not worse without any supervision at the Tower.

"No," Iris assured her. "I'd have killed him years ago."

"Good to know," Linda sighed. "So besides getting to tease your Dad relentlessly, how was it?" she asked, changing the subject.

_A/N II:_

_Sister or not, Roy will treat Sin the same way he does Lian when it comes to boys. Deshi is a full blown character I have in mind that will show up in this soon enough in a guest capacity._

_I was a little dark with Chris in 'Mother', so I went somewhere else with this. Their investigation is based on one I was involved in for officer elections with an organisation I'm part of. The outgoing treasurer was crooked as hell and I loved finding out just how crooked he was._

_Unlike Milagro, I'm the son my Dad never had. Whenever he's tinkering with our cars, I get called in to help because I have very long slender hands that can reach into tight spaces. This is also how I know more than the average woman about cars._

_I wrote this to utterly and completely exploit the slash implications in the beginning and the fact that Dick Grayson is DC's beloved whore…lol_

_Damian is far too much like Bruce to be able to just chill out and relax with his father. And besides…you know Bruce won't leave it alone if a friend might have been scammed by someone. I really, really enjoyed digging up all the stuff I did during the election campaign…lol_

_Lololol An idea I had based on the Justice League Unlimited toon and the mutual attraction between Wally and Bea (Fire). Jai and Irey would have a field day with it._


	53. Kazuo's Story

Kazuo's Story

_A/N: The following is a true story. I am using the local dialect to tell it, because it was how it was told to me and I can't tell it the way I heard it any other way. I spent over a decade of my life in Hawai'i and a history teacher I had in high school had an interesting take on the events of December 7__th__, 1941. I've only changed his name in this…everything else is as he told us in class many years ago. There are many old timers in the Islands with stories of that day…all of them worth listening to. Kids in school in Hawai'i have the unique advantage of hearing first-hand accounts either from relatives or like in my case, their teachers. This chapter is set in April of 2021._

Winter had taken its toll on the majority of the team and they had unanimously decided that a tropical vacation was in order. Years of listening to Connor Kent rave about the state he called 'home', made their choice of destination an easy one. Chris remembered fondly the bus system that ran across the island and had easily convinced his teammates that it was the way to go for all their sightseeing adventures on the southern side of O'ahu.

"Mom and Dad had a conference here years ago," Chris was explaining. "They'd brought Connor and Kara with them to keep an eye on me and the three of us had a blast!"

"So you've seen this before?" Sin asked.

Chris shook his head. "We didn't hit the memorial then. I kind of wish we had…but hey. It's something we can all share."

Cerdian cracked a wry smirk at his friend. "Your optimism amuses me to no end." He held a hand up to deflect the playful swat Chris aimed at him.

"This is us, gang," Iris chimed in when the driver announced that the _USS Arizona Memorial_ was the next stop. They exited through the back door of the bus and made their way to the crosswalk.

"That was eighty years ago already," Milagro murmured in awe, as they waited for the light to turn green. They had a prime view of the beautiful stark white memorial on the water.

"Eighty years ago this year and people still flock to see this," Damian added.

"Never forget, never repeat," Jai stated. "I'm glad it's still heavily visited."

"I was right," Lian shuddered. "This would creep me out a little."

"Why?" Chris asked.

"The ship was named for Dad's and my home state," Lian explained. "It's almost like a part of us is under there," she indicated the memorial with a nod.

"Like this isn't morbid enough," Jai scoffed. Lian flipped him off as the others laughed. The light changed and they headed across the street towards the memorial.

They could see an elderly gentleman with a cane pausing on the sidewalk ahead of them and the crowds that pretended not to notice him. "Are you alright, Sir?" Sin asked as they came upon him.

He gave her a broad grin. "I stay old, not like you. I just winded."

"Can we assist you?" Cerdian offered, indicating a broad bench nearby.

"Oh mahalo yeah," the elder thanked as Cerdian carefully took his arm and the team led him to the bench. "Is dis the da first time you all wen see 'em?" he asked, pointing to the memorial.

"It is," Damian replied.

"We couldn't pass up the chance to see this," Milagro added.

"Dat's good," the elder nodded. "I remember dat day…" he added softly as memories came back to him. His comment had grabbed their attention and focused it solidly on him.

"Do you mind sharing?" Cerdian asked.

"Shoots. If you want to listen to one old man reminisce, I be glad for tell my story," he offered. "My name's Kazuo," he added after Cerdian introduced himself and the others as they got comfortable around Kazuo to listen to his story. Kazuo started by saying that his grandparents had been migrant farmers from Japan, who immigrated to Hawai'i in the late eighteen hundreds to work in the sugar fields. "By da time I show up, we was as American as everybody else." He paused and shook his head slightly. "Until my tenth birthday I never thought of national pride or anyt'ing like dat. Den da planes wen come."

"Your birthday is December seventh?" Chris asked incredulously.

Kazuo nodded. "Yep. I going be ninety dis year." He chuckled at the amazed looks he was getting from the team. "Da morning of my tenth birthday, we was getting ready for church," he explained. "We lived just over there," he added pointing to an area that was now part of a mall complex. "Dat was all bush back den." The team looked towards where Kazuo had pointed. "My brothers, cousins, and I was playing in da front yard when we hear da planes. Dey was coming from Mililani way," he explained pointing to the broad valley between the two mountain ranges on the island.

"Sir?" Jai asked when Kazuo's gaze became distant.

"It was da wartime," Kazuo continued, not really hearing Jai's concern. "We saw plane formations all da time. Never thought for look to see who they were." Kazuo was looking to where his childhood home had been. "We was waving at dem at first."

"You couldn't have known," Iris offered, placing a hand on Kazuo's. He looked down at her hand and then up to her and smiled.

"You're right," he agreed, patting her hand. "As da planes got closer we saw da Rising Sun on da wings. We thought it was a joke…or mock exercise or somet'ing like dat." Kazuo looked over at a military air field and pointed. "Da first explosions was over dere."

"You had a clear line of sight of everything," Damian marvelled.

"Oh yeah," Kazuo replied. "Us kids didn't even think twice, we just raced through da bush to da water for get a better look," he added. "After a minute or two we realised dat it was one attack," he added and then chuckled. "One of da planes had circled back and buzzed over where we was and we all wen run for hide in da trees." Kazuo pointed to the memorial as he continued. "Da battleships was all lined up in twos next to Ford Island and da bulk of da planes was concentrated on getting dem." Pointing to the sky above the memorial, Kazuo continued. "There was t'ree or four planes immediately above, dat could have been da one dat dropped da bomb dat wen hit da _Arizona_. Da fireball was so tall. Da biggest thing I ever wen see up to den."

"My God," Chris breathed.

"You must have been terrified?" Sin asked.

Kazuo shook his head. "No. I wasn't scared…I was sad. Da ships was packed full of men back den. And all I could think about was dose poor men, dey never had a chance." Damian heard Milagro swallow hard next to him and placed an arm across her shoulders. "Several ships had already been hit and we wen venture from da trees back to da water to see if we could help." Kazuo blinked tears away for a moment. "Da sailors who wen jump ship was swimming to whatever land dey could get to. We saw several trying to reach where we was." He chuckled for a moment. "We no think that we had our good church clothes on. We was all good swimmers and some of my older cousins and brothers dove in to help da sailors to shore, while da rest of us was tearing up our good shirts for use as bandages. You could see da sailors was in bad shape, the ones heading towards us."

The team stared in genuine awe of Kazuo as he told his story. "We had a few doctors and nurses in our family, so we knew basic first aid." Kazuo frowned and shook his head. "I remember dis one guy," he paused and sighed deeply. "Ka'ahupahau must have taken great pity on all of dem and guided dem to safety."

"Ka'ahupahau?" Cerdian asked.

"The shark goddess of Pu'uloa, the Hawai'ian name for Pearl Harbour," Chris explained. "She's the protector of the harbour."

"You know our legends?" Kazuo asked Chris, his pride evident on his weathered face.

Chris nodded. "My cousin lived in the Islands for some time and absorbed everything he could about them."

"Your cousin stay kama'aina den," Kazuo said. Chris shrugged. "Anyone who take da time for learn da culture and embrace it is considered local," he added. "Even if your cousin is haole in appearance, he is local in his heart. Dat make him kama'aina," Kazuo stated.

"Connor would be pleased to hear that," Chris agreed. "But forgive me, I didn't mean to interrupt you," he added, suggesting that Kazuo continue his tale.

Kazuo waved a hand to suggest that he didn't mind. "How some of da sailors made it to shore, I'll never know. Like I said, Ka'ahupahau must have been protecting dem." His shoulders sagged slightly as looked over to where he'd been on that terrifying morning. "Dis one guy my brother was helping to shore was crying in pain. He was burnt real bad across his chest and down his arms." Kazuo winced a little. "Da buttons on his shirt had melted and were stuck to him." Sin held her fist to her mouth and blinked back tears at the thought. "We had our littlest cousin go run to the road to flag down help for da sailors. Minoru wen run all da way home instead for get help. His mother made him stay at da house while my father and uncle came to where we was with their medical bags. My sister came too because she was in nursing school."

Kazuo pointed to a dock nearby and the ships tendered there. "By den da first wave of da attack was over and da second wave was coming in. Da ships dat was moored dere had started getting underway to get out of da harbour." Kazuo's gnarled finger drifted along the harbour until pausing ahead of the memorial. "One of da ships wen get hit right dere. I remember seeing it rise up out of da water wen da torpedo hit it, but it kept on going before getting beached. Was unreal how it stay afloat after dat."

"That would have been the _Nevada_, correct?" Damian asked as he recalled his history.

Kazuo shook his head. "I dunno. Da only ship I know is dat one," he replied, pointing to the memorial. Damian nodded in understanding as Kazuo continued. "Was not long after, dat da attack stopped. We had about two dozen sailors make it over to where we was. And even though everybody knew dat it was da Japanese dat wen attack and my family is Japanese, not one of da sailors wen blame us or attack us for what had happened. Dey was just grateful for any help we could give 'em," he explained. "Was a few days later dat any of my family heard anything bad because we were Japanese."

"Some things never change," Damian sighed. Kazuo looked at him in confusion. "I'm half Egyptian." Kazuo nodded in immediate understanding.

"So you know dat no matter what, always going have some fool think dat you were personally responsible," Kazuo stated. Damian nodded in agreement. "I had an aunty who wen marry a Japanese national before da war," Kazuo explained. "Because he wasn't a citizen and she had been in Japan before, dey both ended up shipped off to da Mainland to one of the camps."

"You can't be serious," Milagro gasped.

"I am," Kazuo assured her. "Da government treated dem as da enemy and dey spent da whole war in Alabama in a Japanese concentration camp."

"That's insanity," Cerdian growled.

"Sadly Dude, that's what happened," Jai said. "Our grandmother was just a little kid living in the Mid-West at the time. And she recalls having to correct everyone that accused her or her family of being Japanese, that they were actually Korean."

"Not that it mattered," Iris added. "I guess folks figured that if they were Asian they may as well have been Japanese."

"Even Koreans got harassed on the Mainland?" Kazuo asked.

"On the Mainland, it's not like it is here. Unless people are from a major city, they usually can't tell Japanese from Korean, from Chinese, and so on," Iris explained.

"I'm Chinese and I live in San Francisco and I still have people ask me what I am," Sin told him.

"I'm half Vietnamese and I'm always pegged as either Chinese or Japanese," Lian added with a shrug.

"People really can't tell da difference?" Kazuo asked.

"Nope." Jai replied. "Asian is usually about as specific as most folks can guess."

"Dat's a shame. We don't have dat here," Kazuo explained. "People can tell who is what, even da mixed ones." He paused for a moment before continuing. "No, dey had a little bit confusion during the years of martial law. Da military was mainly white and from da Mainland."

"You had martial law as well?" Cerdian asked.

Kazuo nodded. "We had it until nineteen forty four. Den da Supreme court agreed that it was unwarranted in Hawai'i, but it took Roosevelt stepping in to properly end it."

Chris sighed as he folded his arms across his chest and looked out to the memorial. "You know, for years I listened to Connor telling me all of this. And even now, being here and hearing your story, I still can't believe how poorly it was handled."

"It was a different time," Kazuo shrugged. "Dat don't make it right, but dat was da way it was back den."

"No it doesn't," Chris agreed.

Kazuo gazed out to the memorial. "Wen dey proposed building da memorial…a lot of us in da Islands thought dat dey couldn't do it justice," he said. "I remember watching it get built." He gave a wry smile before continuing. "All dis time dat it's been dere, I only now decide dat maybe I should go out dere."

"You've never been out there?" Iris asked incredulously.

Kazuo shook his head. "And I couldn't even tell why dat is. I don't know da answer to dat."

"We would be deeply honoured if you joined us on our trip out to the memorial," Sin stated. Kazuo said that he didn't want to slow them down, but Sin insisted. "It is the least we can do. You have been so generous in sharing with us."

"Pretty please," Iris asked.

Kazuo laughed at her puppy eyes. "Okay if you no mind, I would like dat," he said. Damian helped him stand up from the bench and Jai held out an arm for Kazuo to take. "We'll stop at da lei stand first," he insisted.

"Chris' cousin has told us about the tradition of floating leis to honour the fallen," Milagro grinned. Kazuo nodded and smiled at Chris. They each purchased an orchid lei at the stand and Damian went to secure nine tickets for the boat out to the memorial.

"We're early," Kazuo commented. "We only have a half hour wait for da next boat…dat's good."

"How much was the ticket?" Cerdian asked as Damian handed him his.

"They're free," Damian informed him, handing out the rest.

"You only have to pay at da other historical sites if you want for check em out," Kazuo added.

They found a bench near the boat dock and Kazuo gladly took a seat. "The second wave came up from that way, right?" Lian asked, pointing out to the mouth of the harbour.

"Yeah," Kazuo replied. "Da first one came from da mountain side and da second one wen sweep in from da ocean side." As they waited for the boat to take them out to the memorial, Kazuo explained how everything had looked that day right before the attack. "Dere was a ship parked in front. A small one next to da _Arizona_, and den four or five more behind dat. Dey were parked in twos, except da one in front."

"Were they all sunk?" Cerdian asked.

"No," Kazuo replied. "Da one in front when get away and I think two in da back make it away from Battleship Row. Dey all took bad hits though. Da _Arizona_ had da most casualties by far and was beyond salvaging. Dat's why dey made it into a memorial."

The boat arrived and Jai helped Kazuo aboard. They remained silent on the trip over to the memorial. Kazuo let a few tears fall as he vividly recalled his tenth birthday and how he had spent it. Once out at the memorial the group made their way to the centre where a large opening let visitors look right down onto the sunken ship. "Dat's her tears," Kazuo choked out, pointing to the faint sheen of oil reflecting a rainbow of colours on the water's surface. "She's still crying for her lost crew." Damian instinctively reached for Iris and hugged her, knowing that Kazuo's observation would reduce her to tears. Kazuo reached over the railing and dropped his lei into the water. "Mahalo nui loa," he murmured. The others did the same and voiced their thanks or honours. "How many languages you all speak?" Kazuo marvelled.

"We're all at least bilingual," Milagro replied.

Lian tried counting off on her fingers several times before losing count. "A lot, trust me."

"Kent," Sin read aloud as she looked up at the commemorative wall listing all of the _Arizona's_ casualties.

"I'm sorry?" Chris piped up and went to join her. Sin pointed out the name of Thomas Kent. "No relation," he told her. "Believe I'd know if he was."

"There's a couple of West's here too," Jai pointed out as several of them looked to find their family names.

"No relation here either," Iris added.

"I remember him," Kazuo said, indicating a name under the list of survivors who had since been interred inside the wrecked hull of the ship. "I remember him because he apologised to my father. He wasn't too bad bang up and was helping us out. When he realised dat we were ethnic Japanese, he apologised for any backlash we'd see because of da attack." He saw the surprised looks on some of his young companion's faces. "Any of the crew of the _Arizona _who wen survive da attack, had da option of being buried here wen dere time came," he explained. "I've lived longer den he did," he added, noting the year of death next to the name. Kazuo patted the engraved name and thanked him. "He was younger den you kids dat day, but he was wise and understanding."

Cerdian wandered to one of the large open windows and looked out at the stern of the ship. "You okay?" Lian asked, stepping up behind him.

"Of all the shipwrecks I've encountered," he murmured. "This is the first war wreck." Lian watched as Cerdian raised a hand slightly and drew small patterns in the air along the hull.

"What was that?" she quietly asked.

"A blessing," he replied. He gave a wry smile. "I do it at all the wrecks I come across." Lian hugged his arm and leaned against him. "You can feel their souls. They're at peace," he added.

An announcement rang out that the boat back to shore was about to be boarded and Lian looked up. "That's us," she said, leading Cerdian back to Kazuo and the others.

Damian helped Kazuo aboard and they rode back to shore in silence again. Once ashore, Jai helped Kazuo from the boat and the team offered to escort him wherever he was heading. "Dere's a shuttle stop in da parking lot," Kazuo told them. They walked with him to the shuttle stop and waited with him.

"Thank you so much for sharing your story with us," Damian told him.

"It made our trip here, that much more valuable," Jai added.

Kazuo smiled gratefully at them. "Mahalo for listening to an old man and helping him around. You kids enjoy da rest of your trip and no forget. Never forget dat and what it means," he told them, indicating the memorial.

"You've guaranteed that we won't," Sin promised. The others heartedly agreed with her.

Kazuo nodded and then bid his goodbyes to them. "Da shuttle's here," he added, indicating a shuttle bus that was pulling into the parking lot. He shared hugs and good byes with them before the driver got out to help Kazuo aboard. The team stayed and waved him farewell as the shuttle pulled away. He waved back at them until he couldn't see them anymore.

"God damn it," Iris sniffled. "Imagine waking up on your tenth birthday and getting a world war thrown on your front doorstep."

"You never think of history like that, but millions of people around the world all have a similar story like that," Jai mused. "One day everything's peachy and the next, they're struggling to stay alive because of mankind's stupidity and arrogance."

"It's truly humbling when you do hear one of them tell theirs, though," Milagro added.

"Okay smack me if you think this is a bad idea," Chris piped up. "But there's an outdoor food court at the mall down the road. It's right about where Kazuo said he was when they all ran down to the water to see what was going on."

"A bit early for lunch, but I'm interested," Damian replied, looking at his watch.

"I think it's unanimous," Lian smirked, looking around at her teammates.

They made their way back to the bus stop and got on the next bus heading towards the mall. Finding the food court easily enough, they all got lunch and found a pair of tables on the deck overlooking the water. "Wow…that's not that far," Jai commented.

"You wonder how some of the victims managed to swim all the way over here though," Sin asked, recalling Kazuo's recounting of the story. "That's still a decent swim."

"And that's without planes overhead trying to destroy everything around you," Lian added.

"You can almost hear them, can't you?" Chris asked. He'd noticed that several of the others were looking towards the sky or the memorial and imagining what it must have been like on the fateful day.

"That is so creepy," Milagro pointed out. "But yeah, you can."

"I propose a toast," Cerdian stated, holding up his drink. The others raised their drinks and tapped them to his. "To the fallen on that fateful day."

"And mahalo nui loa to Kazuo for gladly sharing his story with us," Chris added.

"Hear, hear," they all chimed in.

_A/N II: Minus my 'a/n' drivel and the title, this story contains 3694 words (according to my word count at least). That's the total number of killed and wounded at Pearl Harbour on December 7__th__, 1941. I didn't realise it until I was near the end that I was close…then yes I planned it the rest of the way. A word for each soul._


	54. Cards Anyone?

Cards Anyone?

_A/N: No I am not exploiting Corey, Moon, and Tai…much. Deshi is a character I imagined in the likeness of Miroku from Inuyasha. A Buddhist monk, who also happens to be crooked as hell….but with a heart of gold._

The summer holidays had rolled around and Sin and her childhood friend Deshi had travelled down the coast to escape the city for a while. Deshi had just become an apprentice monk around the same time that Sin had arrived in the Nepalese monastery to hide from Ra's al Ghul. The two had hit if off famously. "They have a key hidden right over there by the birdhouse," Sin pointed out as Deshi slipped a lock pick from his robes.

"It's broad daylight out," the monk replied. "I don't want to give the location away to the neighbours," he added, twisting the pick and opening the door.

"Uh huh, sure," Sin muttered as he held the door for her. She paused just inside and stared out the back patio door. "You're all here and no one bothered to answer?" she stated.

"What? And deprive Deshi?" Chris smirked from the kitchen.

"You know me well," Deshi smiled and strolled past Sin to the kitchen. "Who drinks this?" he asked, holding up a bottle of Guinness from the refrigerator.

"Jai's Irish genes occasionally craves it," Chris replied, stepping back outside to join Lian and Jai.

"That stuff looks like molasses," Sin frowned as she reached around Deshi for a bottle of beer.

"Jai? Do you mind if I try this?" Deshi asked, poking his head outside and holding up the Guinness.

"Knock yourself out, Dude," Jai replied. "You have got to show me how to do that sometime," he added with a chuckle as Deshi popped the cap with a pendent hanging from his neck.

"It's the same trick as doing it with a quarter," Sin stated, interrupting a witty excuse Deshi had in mind to tell Jai. "Where are the kids?" she added, noticing that they were missing.

"They went to the beach," Lian replied, moving her legs, so Sin could get past her to an empty chair.

"Hey, I was up the coast last month and you two weren't home," Chris stated. "Where'd you take off to?"

"Tim had a job for us in Cambodia," Sin smirked.

"Lady Shiva and the Fallen Monk got to bust heads in Cambodia?" Moon asked, dashing through the back gate and hugging Sin. "Hi. Corey heard you two arrive so we came home."

"Hi to you too," Sin greeted. "And yeah. Some moron thought that hiding out with the monks in Cambodia would work."

"Deshi somehow has the Dalai Lama on speed dial…did your target even do his homework?" Tai stated as she came through the gate followed by Corey.

"If he did, he did a poor job of it," Deshi grinned.

"What did this one do that had the Gotham tribe siccing you two on him?" Corey asked, stooping down to hug Sin.

"Child trafficking," Sin replied.

"Ouch," Corey grimaced. He turned on the hose and rinsed his surfboard off before putting it away.

"He was part of that child porn ring that we busted recently?" Jai asked. "I think his name was Ng, or something like that."

"That's the one," Sin grinned. "And since he was the main supplier for the Thai brothels, Tim and Damian figured it was only fair to send us to fetch him."

"Just because you can't have any of your own, doesn't mean that you don't actually like kids," Lian snorted.

"Why can't you have kids?" Moon asked.

"I was sterilised at a very young age," Sin replied. "I guess the masters training me to become the future Shiva didn't want a repeat performance of Cass," she shrugged. "Search me as to why. Cass is cool enough."

"Well that sucks," Tai muttered.

Sin shrugged. "I get to borrow you guys, so it evens out," she told her great nephew and nieces. Deshi made a polite cough and Sin turned to Lian. "Which reminds me…"

"Oh God," Lian laughed. "Who do you want to exploit them against this time?"

"You're the one who let Roy and Ollie turn your children into poker prodigies. It's a shame to let all that talent go to waste," Sin reminded Lian. "And Chow Fat hasn't been keeping his deputies in check lately," she added. "He needs to be taught a lesson."

"When are we wiping out Chow Fat?" Tai asked as Moon reached for her mobile.

"Two weeks from this Saturday."

"Yeah we're free," Moon told her, checking the calendar on her mobile.

"Why? Does Jade have you wiping out some yakuza soon?" Deshi asked.

Corey nodded. "She's buying us into a game next Friday at Ochaya Miyako."

"Hold up," Jai said, looking to Lian.

"Jade has them wiping out yakuza too?" Chris added.

"We pay Mom the house cut," Moon stated.

Lian shrugged. "My mother found out about Sin using them to clean out the triads and decided to get in on some of that action."

"House cut?" Deshi asked.

Corey laughed as his sisters groaned. "Considering the amount of cash they clear in these games you have them in…they can afford to pay a small percentage to their parents to help provide food in their mouths and a roof over their head," Jai stated.

"And pay off their college bills before they ever graduate high school," Chris added.

"What do you charge them for a house cut?" Sin gaped.

"Five percent," Lian replied.

"Too much," the twins said at the same time.

Sin glanced off to the side as she did the math in her head. "That'll pay off college for them in no time," she murmured. "And that is very fair," she added to the twins.

"Traitor," Moon teased.

"I could start charging a house cut on top of my usual cut," Sin playfully threatened.

"Your wisdom is great and you're right as always," Tai said, smiling sweetly.

"Smart girl," Sin winked.

"Aunt Sin? Do you know if Xi Zheng is hosting one anytime soon?" Moon asked, checking her calendar.

"You aren't getting into triad games behind my back are you?" Sin asked, looking hurt.

"No, no," Tai promised. "We're totally cool with letting you pimp us out at those."

"Teejay asked, because he wants to take Xi down and he figured that having us wipe Xi out in a pai gow tourney was a good way to get in," Corey explained.

"Rumour has been quiet about whether or not Xi's got one in the works," Sin replied. "Why does Teejay want to take him down?"

"Xi's been running heroin on the side again," Moon answered.

"And since that goes against the snitch agreement he has with Teej…" Tai added.

"Xi's going down," Sin concluded. "Fair enough. I'll get on that," she added while getting out her mobile and sending off a text message.

"Yeah, they've been cutting it with ephedra to make it more addictive," Corey stated, folding his arms across his chest.

"And fatal…That explains why the Red Dragons have been working Stockton Street a lot lately," Deshi surmised. Sin nodded.

"I thought they were raising prices on their extortion gig," she said. "Maybe we need to pay the Empress Dowager Chu a visit."

"Good luck with that," Jai scoffed.

"Empress Dowager Chu? Isn't that the psycho that runs the Golden Market?" Chris asked.

"The one and the same," Lian told him. "Which begs the question," she added to Sin. "What makes you think she'll say anything to you?"

Sin smirked. "Who said I'd be doing the talking?" she replied, jerking her thumb at Deshi.

"She's a good Buddhist," Deshi teased, putting his hands together and winking.

"You successfully conned one of the shadiest shop keepers in all of San Francisco's Chinatown into thinking that you're a saint?" Jai marvelled

"Faith is blind," Deshi offered with a cheeky grin.

"Obviously," Chris snorted.

"How'd you pull that off?" Corey asked.

"He performs a lot of blessings on customers in her store," Sin smirked.

"He does that wherever you guys go shopping in Chinatown," Lian pointed out.

"It balances out the Karma," Deshi stated. "Madam Chu doesn't know that though."

"That must be a lot of Karma that needs balancing out," Tai teased.

"Yeah, whenever we go shopping with you two, he spends the whole trip offering blessings," Moon smirked.

"They don't call Deshi the Fallen Monk for nothing," Lian chuckled.

"And it has nothing to do with the fact that he lives with me," Sin added.

Deshi shrugged. "I meditate better in battle."

"So not buying that," Sin retorted. "But I do appreciate the sentiment all the same."

"When was the last time a Lady Shiva had a partner?" Corey asked out of curiosity.

"A little over six hundred years ago," Sin replied.

"That one was a Chinese warlord," Deshi offered.

"They chilled out with Genghis and company," Sin added with a laugh.

"Hey, if you're in it for the money," Moon mused.

"Hanging with the biggest bad ass of the day is the way to do it," Tai added.

Sin looked at her mobile when it vibrated and frowned. "You might want to let Teejay know that he's going to have to change his plans for nabbing Xi," she informed the teenagers.

"Why?" the twins asked in unison.

"According to my insider, Xi's not hosting any games in the foreseeable future. Instead he's rounding up ringers to clean out his competition at their games," Sin read aloud.

"That's your scam," Tai defended.

"Talk about balls," Moon added.

"Maybe we can nail him at that Chow Fat game you have us lined up for?" Corey suggested.

Sin bit at her lip in thought. "Perhaps we can pay Teejay and Alia a visit when we return home and discuss it with him," Deshi told her.

"Yeah," Corey agreed. "Since Bruce set Teej up to oversee the Wayne Tech San Francisco branch, it should be easy enough?"

"True," Sin agreed. "That and I want to see what he's got on Xi. If Xi's back to drug trafficking, he might be up to some other stuff too."

"Would Chow Fat let you guys take Xi out if he showed at that game you're taking the kids to?" Jai asked.

"That's a possibility," Deshi replied. "Chow Fat's been trying to add new 'customers' to his extortion ring. He'll know he's busted when Sin shows up with your brood to clean him out."

"Maybe an offer of leniency will loosen him up," Sin mused. The twins sagged and shot her dirty looks. "Relax…your Asian's showing," she scolded them. "He'll walk away with no more than three percent if I have anything to say about it."

"You two will still take away over fifty percent, what are you bitching about?" Corey told his sisters.

"Do you know how expensive electronics are these days?" Moon retorted. "Just because you do an even fifty-fifty split with Aunt Sin."

"You're not human, you wouldn't understand," Tai added. "What? Well he's not!" she told Jai when he backhanded her on the shoulder. "Daxamite, Dad…not Human."

Chris shook his head into his palm. "Keep it up and I'll tell Grandpa about your little side business," he threatened. All three teenagers turned to gape at him. Lian, Sin, Jai, and Deshi all bit their lips to keep from laughing aloud.

"You wouldn't dare," Corey said, his eyes wide in fear.

"You'd be on the same end as us of that gut rendering look of disappointment, too," Tai reminded him.

"I'll risk it," Chris retorted.

"Would you two just shut the hell up," Corey scolded his sisters. Tai and Moon shared a look.

"You better write down the date, because this is the only time we'll actually listen to you," Moon told him after a moment.

Lian glanced at her watch. "Go wash the beach off," she told her children. "We're going to be going out to dinner later." The siblings did as they were told and headed inside.

Deshi leaned over to Chris. "Superman already knows, doesn't he?" he mouthed quietly.

Chris chuckled and nodded his head. "And Dad thinks it's hilarious…but they don't know that and we plan on keeping it that way."

"Chris' Dad is cool with it, because they do what Sin does with her cut," Lian added.

Deshi nodded. "Give most of it away to charity while keeping just enough for expenses."

"We just like holding the threat over their heads…keeps them in line," Jai smirked.

A fortnight later, Corey held the door to an unassuming restaurant for Sin and his sisters. They went through the restaurant into the back and Sin set three small stacks of bills on the desk. "Kee, Mari, and Tora Nguyen," she said, using the fake names Corey, Moon, and Tai used whenever they were bought into illegal games. The bouncer looked up at her and then the teenagers before registering the siblings. "Have fun," Sin told them as they made their way to separate tables set up in the illegal card hall.

Sin found a spot in a back corner where she could keep an eye on everything and waited. She didn't have to wait for long before her target strolled up to her. "I thought you told me that I would not be seeing Jade's grandchildren in here again," Chow Fat told her.

"I said that you wouldn't see them in here if you kept your nose clean," Sin corrected. Chow Fat saw her slip her mobile out and hit send on a drafted message. Chow Fat glanced down when his mobile went off and scrolled through the photos Sin had sent him. "Now while I'm certain that you have kept up to your end of our agreement, a few of your boys have not." A video Sin had included in the sent file showed some of his men threatening a new immigrant businesswoman with extortion. A strict violation of the agreement he had with Sin.

"I was unaware of their illegal activities," Chow Fat quietly defended as he put his mobile away.

"I believe you," Sin lied. "However since you failed in your managerial duties, I had no choice but to punish you. Perhaps you'll keep a tighter rein on your boys in the future."

Chow Fat looked over and watched the boy he knew as Kee, clean out one of his ringers in three hands, before glancing back at Sin. "As I know what you and the children are capable of, I accept your judgement with great humility, Lady Shiva."

"Wise decision," Sin smirked. "The girls were itching for a fight."

"They are their grandmother's granddaughters," Chow Fat agreed and watched as Sin shook her head to the twins and they each gave her a single nod before continuing with their games. He fought the urge to groan when Tora sat out of a hand to wave her fingers twice for one of the attendants to come over and convert the small mountain of chips she'd quickly acquired into a more manageable one of higher value chips. Tora counted out the new chips to make sure the conversion was accurate and slipped two onto the table towards the attendant before focusing on the game again.

Sin spied Xi Zheng enter the card hall with four of his men and smiled softly. Glancing back to Chow Fat she decided to see if he would rat out his fellow gangster by baiting him. "Rumour has it, that Xi's decided to use the other bosses' games instead of hosting his own, as a way to make some extra profit."

Chow Fat took the bait. "I've heard the rumours too," he muttered. "And that's very inconsiderate of him. These games are expensive to host," he added, slipping a small packet from his pocket and handing it over to Sin. He glanced at the one she already held between two fingers as she accepted the one he handed her. "Cheung confiscated it from a customer of mine," Chow Fat purred when he realised that Sin was already well aware of Xi's heroin trade.

"I'll consider a little leniency if you let the children and I take care of him tonight," Sin offered.

"Ten percent," Chow Fat replied, giving her his permission.

"You're joking?" she scoffed. "Two."

Chow Fat shrugged. "I'm a businessman, it was worth a shot. I'll take three instead of the standard five then," he offered.

"Luckily for you, I'm feeling generous," Sin lightly scolded. "Three it is. And only because your boys were nowhere near as ill-behaved as Xi's been."

"Cheshire's here?" Chow Fat swallowed when he saw the assassin stroll right past the bouncer at the door a little while later.

"News to me," Sin admitted, somewhat surprised to see Jade Nguyen heading towards them.

"Shiva," Jade purred in greeting.

"Cheshire," Sin returned the greeting.

"Relax Chow," Jade told him. "I'm only here to watch my grandchildren play." Chow Fat visibly relaxed. Jade scanned the room and spied Xi Zheng. "I see Xi's here…being his usual pompous arrogant self," she commented.

Sin grinned. "Alright, why are you really here?"

Jade let a tiny smile curl the corner of her mouth. "One of his low level thugs thought it would be a good idea to rob two grandmothers at gunpoint as they enjoyed tea in Japan Town."

"Really?" Sin asked. "Did Oba-san even lift a finger or did she let you have at it?"

"Oba-san admits that age is catching up to her," Jade replied. "I got to teach the idiot a lesson."

Sin laughed. "How many pieces did you leave him in?"

"I didn't bother counting," Jade shrugged.

Chow Fat saw an opportunity he couldn't refuse. "Forgive my intrusion ladies, but I have given Lady Shiva and the children permission to handle Xi after the game," he directed at Jade.

"You want in?" Sin asked.

"Of course," Jade stated. "What are you busting him for?" She saw the two packets of heroin that Sin slipped out of her pocket for a brief moment. "Oh really? I call dibs on Xi…on behalf of their grandfather."

"I'll give you that one," Sin conceded. "I need him alive though."

Jade rolled her eyes and huffed her disappointment. "Fine." Chow Fat bowed to the two women and made his leave. "Eighty percent of all side betting goes to us," Jade told him. "Disposal fee."

"You are most generous," Chow Fat replied before slipping away.

"He's still mentally rubbing his hands together in glee," Jade commented.

"He nearly shit himself when you walked in," Sin told her.

"I thought these fools knew the agreement we have. You use the kids to keep the triads in line and I use them to clean out the yakuza," Jade mused.

"I figured he did," Sin shrugged.

"I see that Mari's having a good time," Jade commented a little while later, watching Moon as she squared off against one of Xi's ringers.

"She's been toying with that one for a while," Sin told her. "She'll be moving in for the kill, any hand now."

They didn't have to wait long before Moon did exactly that and took her opponent out in one hand. They watched as the twins both got up from their tables and went to cash out the majority of their chips. "Hello Grandmother," they greeted Jade when they joined the two women.

"Hello Little Ones," she returned, caressing each of their cheeks.

"Present," Tai added, as she and Moon handed over large wads of cash to Sin.

"Thank you," Sin grinned, tucking the money away in a large inner pocket of her jacket. "It's a go," she added. Jade had to laugh at the evil grins the twins shared.

"Grandma knows what's a go?" Moon asked, indicating Jade with a nod.

"She's joining in," Sin told them.

"I got Chow Fat to donate a generous disposal fee," Jade told the twins. She shook her head in amusement as they fist-bumped each other. "At the back corner table there's a man with a dragon tattoo on the side of his head. Let him build up his winnings for a bit and then tag team him," Jade instructed the girls. They nodded and bowed slightly to her and Sin before returning to the tables.

"What did Tattoo Boy do to earn your wrath?" Sin asked.

"Nothing," Jade shrugged. "I wasn't lying when I told Chow that I just wanted to watch them play." Sin's face scrunched up in silent laughter.

"Grandmother," Corey greeted a little while later after cashing out some of his winnings and handing them to Sin.

"Hello Kee," Jade smiled up at him.

"Hear anything interesting?" Sin asked, after tucking the money away.

"You mean besides the fact that I'll be taking a break to watch my sisters annihilate some poor bastard for Grandma's amusement?" he grinned. "Yep." Corey glanced out of the corner of his eye towards where Xi Zheng was seated and then focused on Jade to let them know that he'd heard everything.

"It looks like you might be getting that break," Jade commented as she watched Tai go over to the table with the tattooed player. Moon joined the game about five minutes later. Jade, Sin, and Corey watched as the twins synched up after a few hands and proceeded to clean out the tattooed man of his winnings. "No matter how many times I've seen them do that, it never fails to entertain," Jade purred.

"It's like watching performance art," Sin suggested.

"That's why Grandma Dinah won't play with them anymore," Corey laughed before taking his leave to return to playing.

"Smart woman," Jade commented. "You're using them to punish Chow, right?" she asked a little while later. Sin nodded. "So why does he look happy?"

"Probably because he thinks he'll be getting Stockton Street after tonight," Sin surmised.

"You're not letting him have it?"

"Hell no," Sin stated.

"What are you going to do about Chu?" Jade asked, referring to the disreputable owner of the Golden Market.

"Deshi's working on her," Sin replied.

"Speaking of…I saw your monk down at Sutter and Bush the other day," Jade commented.

"He teaches scripture at the youth centre once a week," Sin informed her. Jade raised an elegant eyebrow at Sin. "No joke. Despite his reputation, he does take his ministry seriously enough."

"Hnn."

The women continued chatting into the night until Xi Zheng signalled his henchmen that they were leaving. Jade slipped out to lay in wait as Sin waited for Corey and the twins to join her. Outside they made short work of the mob boss and his men, leaving them for the police to pick up. Jade went back into the card hall to collect the disposal fee she'd arranged with Chow Fat and then met Sin and the teens at a restaurant down the street. "That was fun," Jade mused as she took out a small portion of bills and handed the rest over to Sin.

"I heard bones crack," Tai smirked at her grandmother.

"She broke his arm in four places," Corey chuckled.

"I wanted to break his neck," Jade admitted. "However…" she added, giving Sin a pointed look.

Sin shrugged. "His reputation is even worse in the joint than it is on the street."

"He won't enjoy prison," Moon grinned.

"I see." Jade placed an order to go and waited for it with Sin and her grandchildren. "I admit that this evening was entertaining. Let me know if you plan on doing it again?"

Sin regarded the teens. "I'll think about it."

"Fair enough. Give your mother my love," Jade told the teens and hugged them before taking her leave.

"Did you guys tell her that we might be getting into a fight?" Sin asked the teenagers.

"Nope," Corey replied. The twins shook their heads no as well.

"We just told her we had a game with you," Moon offered.

"She was planning on taking Takahashi out, so we had to," Tai added.

Sin shrugged. "Let's get this to go," she suggested. "Deshi's waiting for us and you guys should be heading back to the Tower."

At the modest flat Sin and Deshi shared, the monk had tea ready for them. "Good night?" he asked, as Sin took a seat at the kitchen table.

"It was productive," Sin replied, emptying her jacket of the money the teens had won.

Corey, Moon, and Tai came out into the kitchen in costume. "Glamour charms," Corey said, as he stashed their clothes into a duffle bag.

"Oh shit," Moon muttered as she and her sister removed the charmed jade yin and yang necklaces they had worn to disguise their brightly coloured hair earlier.

"Who made them for you?" Sin asked as they began counting out their separate stacks of money. Corey slid half of his winnings over to her and she thanked him.

"Nina," Tai replied, dividing her pile into two stacks and sliding one of the stacks over to Sin.

"Why doesn't she just change your hair back to normal?" Deshi asked.

"Glamour charms are easier," Moon piped up, sliding Sin's cut of the winnings over.

"Than changing out our hair every time we need to hide who we are," Tai finished.

"That makes sense, I guess," Sin agreed. "Okay guys, bonus time," she added, handing over their share of the money Jade had collected.

"Damn, he would have made a killing tonight," Corey commented. The twins divided the bonus into two equal halves and handed them over to Corey. He accepted them and put them into two envelopes along with his share.

"As always, a pleasure doing business with you," Moon said as she placed the remainder of her money in a bright purple change purse and tossed it into the duffle with their clothes.

"We'll stop by before heading home tomorrow," Tai added. She put her money away in a blue change purse as Corey stashed his share in his wallet.

"Have a good night," Corey told Sin and Deshi as the teens took their leave.

"Night guys," Sin said, hugging them.

"Be good," Deshi told them as he hugged them goodnight.

"Just like you," Corey teased. Sin and Deshi watched them head for the Tower before returning to the kitchen table and dividing up the night's winnings further.

"Who broke the hell out of Xi?" Teejay asked when the teens got to the Tower.

"Grandma Jade showed up," Corey said, handing an envelope over to him. Teejay passed it over to Nina, who took out the money to count it.

"Cheshire was there too?" Alia asked.

"She wanted to watch," Tai said around a yawn.

"Besides, Aunt Sin made sure she didn't kill Xi," Moon added.

"Well it's late and we have training in the morning," Teejay told them. "Go on to bed." They bid him, Alia, and Nina goodnight before heading up to their quarters.

"Ay Dios mio," Nina muttered after she counted out the money a second time.

"Good haul?" Alia asked.

"Seventy three hundred," Nina said, holding up the money.

"Damn," Teejay gaped.

"The triads will busy trying to make that back," Alia mused.

"It keeps us in a job," Nina grinned.

"Yeah it does," Teejay chuckled.

The following evening, Jai was equally impressed with the money Corey had handed over in the other envelope. "What the hell happened?"

"Grandma Jade showed up and scored us a bonus," Tai smirked.

"She told us to send you her love," Moon added for Lian.

"Did Mom have fun?" Lian asked. Corey laughed and told his parents the story he'd overheard at the illegal game.

"Jade had a ball," Chris chuckled.


	55. Titans In A Strange Land

Titans In A Strange Land

_A/N: I just went to Disneyland with several dozen friends to celebrate the birthday of one of them. We had a theme and ran away with it…Disney character gender swap! Pick a character opposite your gender and go to town with the interpretation. This is pretty much a fictionalised (character wise at least) account of what happened. Our Maleficent actually looks like what I'd picture an adult Damian Wayne looks like…only shorter…lol_

Iris dashed into the office next to her and Damian's and grinned. "Okay you two aren't busy at the moment," she said to a startled Tim and Tam. "Lian's twenty first is coming up and she wants to have it in Disneyland."

"Good luck getting Damian or your brother to cooperate," Tim teased.

"We're planning this all behind their backs so when the time comes, they're out-voted a million to one," Iris smirked.

"How much of this has been planned?" Tam asked.

"Quite a bit already," Iris replied. "And there's gonna be a theme." She grinned as Tim and Tam both raised curious eyebrows at her. "Gender swap! Pick a character opposite your gender and run with it!"

"Dibs on Zazu from the Lion King!" Tam declared.

"I love you," Iris laughed. "I thought I was going to be the only animal character. I'm doing Nemo," she twirled her finger in her fiery locks and waggled her eyebrows.

Tim closed his eyes and leaned his head back in thought. "The three fairy godmothers in Sleeping Beauty…one of them wears red…"

"Flora," Tam and Iris replied.

"The one who gifted her with beauty," Tam added

Tim waved his hand at the two women and said that he'd be Flora. "Chris will be happy then. He's doing Tinker Bell," Iris added. Tim and Tam laughed out loud. "And Damian will be Maleficent, whether he wants to be or not."

"That is so perfect it hurts," Tam gasped between laughing fits. Iris continued telling the other two of the plans and added that the following weekend, the team would have an official planning party at the Tower. There, they would let Jai and Damian know in no uncertain terms that they were playing along, or else.

The following weekend, Chris, Jai, and Lian arrived at the Tower and Jai immediately became suspicious when he spied his parents chatting with Roy and Donna. "You're up to something," he accused Lian.

"Yep. Deal with it," Lian dismissed and went to greet her father.

"I detect evil afoot," Damian murmured as he came to stand next to Jai and Chris.

"Oh yeah…this ought to be good," Jai muttered. Chris fought to keep from laughing out loud at the pair of them.

Lian went to the centre of the room and got everyone's attention. "Okay folks, here's the deal. My twenty first is coming up in five weeks and we're all going to celebrate it in Disneyland!"

"Bullshit," Jai stated.

"Hell no," Damian added.

Lian rolled her eyes and held her hand up. "All in favour, say aye." All but two hands went up. "You're out voted, so tough shit."

"We just endured Disneyworld last year and you're going to turn around and make me go through this?" Jai accused his sister.

"Shut up," Lian told him. "I need a Mulan to my Li Shang and you're it."

"Huh?" Jai gaped at her. "Mulan?" he asked, pointing to his chest.

"And for those who don't know, that's the theme for this shindig. Gender swap! Pick a character opposite of your gender and run with it," Lian declared.

"Pre or post army?" Jai asked.

"Whatever floats your boat," Lian replied.

"I could be convinced," Jai murmured. "Of course I'd be more on board if you had picked Shan Yu," he added. Lian glared at Sin.

"Someone beat her to it," Sin smirked, buffing her nails on her top.

"So it's you and me against her?" Jai asked, pointing at Sin. Lian nodded.

"Traitor," Damian growled playfully.

"Don't worry, D. We picked the most sinister, evil, bad ass for you," Lian smirked. "Maleficent."

"Who?" Damian asked.

"The reason Sleeping Beauty has a plot," Barbara laughed. "And that I would pay to see."

"No kidding, right?" Tam grinned.

Tim saw the look on Damian's face and smirked. "I might be able to make this worth your while," he offered.

"Doubtful," Damian retorted, folding his arms across his chest.

"I'm going with one of the fairy godmothers in Sleeping Beauty who is nowhere near as powerful as Maleficent."

"The character chosen for me is your superior?"

"Well not in morality, but yeah," Tim replied.

"Done," Damian agreed.

"That was easier than you thought it would be," Dick commented.

"Nope. I knew that once I gave him a detail or two, he'd take the bait," Tim grinned.

Dick's hand shot up. "As the only Roma in the room, I've got dibs on Esmeralda!"

"Need a Quasi?" Barbara volunteered.

"You offering?" Dick grinned. Barbara nodded. "I have my Quasimodo. Thanks Babs," he said and leaned down to kiss her cheek.

"Getting you into a skirt has never really been that hard, Grayson" Roy commented. Barbara howled in laughter as Dick glared at Roy. "I'm just saying," Roy smirked.

Cerdian leaned towards Milagro, Traci, and Jaime as Roy and Dick had it out. "I'm not at all familiar with any of these characters," he pointed out.

Milagro chuckled and held up a hand. "No problemo, Ese. All we need to do to you is add a little make up below your left eye."

"There's a female character, who has snow white hair, blue eyes, and happens to be Atlantean," Traci giggled.

"And royalty," Jaime added. "And has magic powers."

"I'll show you the movie later," Milagro promised. "Trust me, you'll love Kida."

"I take it, you'll be employing that hat of yours for the Mad Hatter?" Garth asked Donna. Donna Troy had found a leather hat perfect for the character years ago and had customised it.

Donna nodded. "Uh-huh…who are you thinking of doing?"

Garth smirked. "Ursula."

Traci snapped her fingers and looked at Cassie and Donna. "Okay Amazons, here's the deal. For you ladies, I know my choice can be kinda personal, but I call dibs on Hades. So how about it? We kiss, we schmooze, and we all go home happy," she said in a fair impersonation of the character.

"She would be the perfect Hades too," Cassie laughed.

"She would," Donna agreed.

"Just know that I was already planning on Hercules," Cassie told Traci.

Characters were decided upon and Lian explained the premise of her idea. "Spot on costumes won't be allowed but something in the spirit of, is okay." Plans were made and arrangements set in place. The weekend of Lian's birthday rolled around and they spent the morning getting ready for a day at the park.

"Do you need to employ glitter?" Damian asked as Iris touched her tongue to her upper lip and made up his eyes.

"Wait till you see what I did to Chris," she promised. "And we are done!"

"I need to see this…whoa," Lian gaped. Damian had on black slacks, a black button down, with a plum coloured vest and tie. Damian shot her a withering look as he tucked a black pocket square into his vest. "Oh my God, how perfect was that choice?"

"Right?" Iris grinned. "Gimme a second here," she added and dashed off to change into her outfit.

"Where did you find an orange and white striped dress?" Lian laughed. She adjusted one of the sleeves on her black and white Chinese style tunic.

"Cute right?" Iris agreed, and did a twirl.

Jai came out and frowned at the red sash in his hands. "Can one of you two tie me o…god damn," he gaped at Damian. "You sure you want let him loose looking like that?" Jai asked his sister.

"It's terrifying?" Damian asked.

"No. You're drop dead gorgeous," Jai admitted. The door to the adjoining room opened and Chris poked his head in.

"Wow!"

"Please tell me I don't require wings?" Damian pleaded, spying the green wings Chris was wearing.

"Maleficent is too evil for wings," Kon assured him. "I could hear this down the hall and needed to check it out."

"Looking good Megara," Lian grinned. He was wearing a loose lavender shirt and jeans with a pair of sandals. Cassie had sprayed temporary purple hair colour into his black hair.

"Wait'll you see Herc," Kon winked. "She glittered the hell out of your hair," he added to his kid cousin. Chris was wearing black jeans with a black shirt and green vest and tie.

"And I come with pixie dust," Chris grinned, holding up a vial of glitter.

"You did Tim up too?" Kon asked Iris. She nodded and he took off to see his friend.

"That works," Tim admitted, as Tam stepped out in a white top and skirt with a sheer duster in tie dyed blues.

"I'm digging the orange fishnets Irey found," Tam admitted. "And you are absolutely gorgeous," she added. Tim had on black slacks, a black vest and tie, with a red button down. "Need a hand getting the wings on?" she asked and he accepted. The door opened allowing Kon in to admire his friend.

"Nice. I see Irey had a theme in mind when it came to fairies," Kon grinned. Tim accepted a pair of long linen scarves from Tam and draped them loosely around his neck.

"I have to admit, I like it," Tim agreed.

"Does she need help with Damian?" Tam asked.

Kon shook his head no. "He is beautiful. I mean wow!" He leaned back to look down the hall when he heard a door open and raised an appreciative eyebrow. Jason Todd was wearing a form fitting black suit with a white shirt and black tie.

"I've already got the naturally occurring skunk stripe, so who else would I be?" Jason asked. "Tam please tell me…thank you," he added as she tossed him a zip lock bag with accessories.

"You'll find a dalmatian tie pin and a dalmatian print fuzzy cuff in there, Cruella," Tam teased as Jason ripped open the bag and put on the various bracelets and items Tam had provided.

"You're a doll, Tam. Captain Cass Sparrow is almost ready too," Jason informed them, sliding on a pair of red fingerless gloves.

"Did you and Babs have to tone Cass down?" Tim asked.

"And Dick," Jason replied, fastening the last of the spiked cuffs Tam had provided onto his wrist. "They were both a little too perfect with their outfits."

Tam snapped her fingers and pointed at Jason. "Ian made the map pendants for Dick and Babs…I think he still has them."

"I'll go and get them," Jason offered. He headed down the hall to the room he knew Cerdian would be in.

"Damn Ese," Jaime chuckled when he opened the door to Jason's knock.

"Dory to Irey's Nemo?" Jason asked, as he took in Jaime's look.

"Yup," Jaime replied. He closed the door behind Jason and went to put on a pair of yellow sneakers and yellow fingerless gloves. "And done!" Jaime had on a pair of black jeans and a blue tee with a black shirt left open over the tee.

Jason stared slightly slack jawed at Cerdian as Milagro finished putting the final touches on his face. "Damn." Cerdian was wearing a loose pale denim shirt over a dark blue tank top with a darker pair of jeans.

"We had to tone it down a bit," Milagro admitted, as she put the final touches on Cerdian's facial tattoos.

"And Hades," Jaime chuckled, jerking his thumb towards the bathroom.

A wolf whistle came from the direction of the bathroom and Jason had to laugh. "Looking good Cruella," Traci commented. She had on a mini skirt and crop top in dark grey with a gauzy wrap pinned to her shoulder with a skull pin. Traci's hair had light blue highlights throughout it to complete the look.

"Not too bad yourself Hades," Jason chuckled. "Anyway, you apparently…that's what I came here for, thanks," he added as Cerdian wandered over and held out two necklaces he'd made. "How accurate are these?" he asked, noticing the detail Cerdian had put into them.

"The streets, river, and bridges are spot on," Cerdian admitted. "I drove myself nuts putting them together too, because I wanted them to be perfect."

"They'll love them," Jason admitted, admiring the intricate pendants.

"Babs' is the silver one and Dick's is the gold one," Cerdian added, rooting around with his toes under the bed looking for his flip flops.

"Traci, can you tie me up?" Milagro asked, handing over a corset.

"Not too snug, I assume?" Traci added, as Milagro adjusted the flowing green vest she had on.

"Hell no," Milagro agreed.

Jason snapped his fingers and pointed at Milagro. "The dude in Tangled." Milagro had a white shirt on under the vest and brown slacks and boots.

"Got it in one," Milagro grinned. Jason said he'd see them in a bit and after thanking Cerdian for the pendants, he returned to the suite he was sharing with Cassandra, Barbara, and Dick.

"Courtesy of His Royal Highness, the Prince of Atlantis," Jason stated, handing the pendants over to Barbara and Dick.

"They're beautiful," Barbara commented. She slipped the hand knotted cord over her neck and tucked the pendant into her top. She was wearing sage green leggings with a bright green tunic dress over it.

Dick fiddled with his mobile for a moment as he pulled up a picture of the pendants from the movie. "They're perfectly spot on," he grinned.

"Ian said that he went nuts making sure that they were," Jason told them. Dick slipped his on and tucked it into the half unbuttoned white shirt he had on. He was also wearing a pair of purple trousers and had a beaded sash tied around his waist for a belt.

"Cass, are you…you have the stagger down too?" Barbara asked

"Of course, Darling," Cassandra teased. She spied her plastic pirate sword and slipped it into the sash around her waist. Cassandra's costume was a form fitting version of Jack Sparrow's.

Downstairs outside the lobby, several of the Titans were gathering. "How many pirates are we going to have for this shindig?" Kara asked, admiring Lorena's interpretation of Captain Hook. Lorena had a red velvet corset top on with flowing sleeves and black pants and boots.

"A few," Lorena replied, slipping her mobile into her bodice. "How did you get your hair to look like Rufio's?" Kara had dark hair with streaks of red shot through it. It matched the black and red outfit she'd put together.

"I had Garth magic it," Kara replied. "He figured out how to do it and not short circuit the whole Kryptonians and magic not mixing thing," she added at Lorena's questioning look. She turned her head towards the door as she heard others arriving.

"That's so cool," Lorena grinned as Donna and Roy came out to join them. Donna had on her hat along with a black skirt and boots. Her top was violet and she had a black waistcoat on over it.

"It's not like I could do Robin Hood," Roy smirked.

"No. But you do make a dashing Merida," Kara admitted. Roy had on a loose dark green peasant's shirt with dark green jeans. He had a large Celtic knot belt buckle as well as a Celtic knot design on his bow and arrow quiver props.

"Hey Roy? What is your daughter's problem that she insisted on gender swapping?" Wally asked as he and Linda joined them. Wally had on a white shirt with the sleeves partially rolled up and a pair of teal trousers, while Linda had on dark jeans with a red belt and a cropped white top.

"She's Jade's kid…nice Ariel!" he laughed when he got a good look at his old friend.

"You make a smoking hot Eric," Donna complimented Linda.

"So says the equally smoking Mad Hatter," Linda replied. She suddenly gaped and pointed behind Donna. Donna turned and grinned as Garth headed over to join them.

"I love how you implied the tentacles!" Donna gushed, fingering the lightweight trench coat Garth was wearing.

"Mila had a ball putting this together for me," Garth chuckled. "The moon…good choice," he added, noticing the tarot card Donna had tucked into the brim of her hat.

"The card of madness," Donna winked. "Mila made this for you?" she added, admiring the coat.

"The coat and the shirt," Garth replied. They were primarily black, with a lavender trim on the top of the tee and lavender sleeves.

Cassie and Kon joined them and Donna praised them for their outfits. "And the funny thing is that the relatives love that flick," Cassie smirked. She had on a bronze colour mini dress with a blue cardigan and sandals.

"Oh my God…Mom you babe!" Jai declared when he saw his parents in their outfits.

"Thank you Honey, oh you're cute," Linda told Jai. He had on dark leggings with a Chinese style tunic in various shades of green. He shook his head and gave her a look before something poked him in the back.

"Hi Sin," he muttered.

"Hey yourself," she smirked. She stepped out from behind him and slid her toy sword back into her belt.

"Somehow I don't think Huns wore corsets," Linda teased, admiring the costume Sin had put together.

Sin shrugged. "I was told to tone it down a little."

"She looked a little too spot on with the fur trim," Mia added as she and Connor Hawke joined them.

"Elsa and…" Linda asked, pointing first to Connor and then Mia. Connor had on jeans and a light blue shirt. Mia had applied a very fine glitter to his hair to imply frost. She was wearing darker jeans with a lighter blue top and boots. Like some of the other sword wielders, she also had a toy sword.

"John Smith," Mia grinned. She looked around and did a head count. "Where are Tarzan and Jane?"

"Court and Bart went over to get the tickets. They're waiting for us at the park," Roy told her.

Bart and Courtney were easy enough to spot near the main entrance to the park. Bart had on dark green cargo pants and a yellow shirt, while Courtney was wearing a russet coloured tee with brown cargo pants and a loincloth. She had a little toy gorilla poking out of her backpack. Bart handed over a credit card Tim had lent him as Courtney began handing out tickets.

"Here, they gave us this for you," Bart told Lian, handing over a large badge that read Happy Birthday on it. Lian thanked him and accepted a permanent marker from Iris to write her name in the space provided.

"I still say that the parents should have brought their little ones," Jason grinned.

"You just wanted to dress your nephew up as a prop," Tam snorted. Jason gave her a duh look.

"Nina's barely two months old, Mate…not happening," Traci added.

"You'd have been left to reign them in, if we had," Bart smirked.

Tim's face scrunched up in laughter. "Admit it, they'd have made cute dalmatian puppies."

"You're almost as twisted as your crazy ass brother, Ese," Jaime scoffed.

"They would have been cute," Courtney agreed. "But Alia's with my folks in Nebraska."

"So where to first, Lian?" Roy asked after everyone made it through the gate.

Lian raised her arms above her head and pointed up. "Pirates of the Caribbean! And we are singing sea shanties!"

"The line's not that long," Barbara commented when they got to the attraction. "There's twenty nine of us, right?"

"Yes," Damian told her and did a double count with Iris to make sure. "There are twenty nine of us."

"Gypsy boy and I will go up and make sure we can get a boat for all of us," Barbara stated, and patted her wheelchair. "We'll just wait for you guys to go through the line."

"We might be taking up two of them," Dick told his wife as they got to the area for handicapped guests.

"Hi, we're with a rather large group," Barbara told the attendant. She offered to let them cut the line and Barbara and Dick waved her off. "We'll wait for them, the line's not that long." The attendant let her co-worker know that Barbara and Dick would be waiting for their group to meet up with them before getting on.

"There's twenty nine of us," Dick replied, when asked about how many they were waiting for and pointed to where they were.

"Is there enough chlorine in that water?" Cerdian winced as they got closer.

"There is," Garth agreed, and reached into his coat to retrieve a water bottle to hand to his son.

"Thanks Dad," Cerdian said. Garth acknowledged him with a nod as he took a long drink from his own bottle.

"You two okay?" Linda asked. Garth and Cerdian nodded that they would be fine.

"The chlorine fumes are a bit thick for us underwater types," Lorena added. "Not so bad for me, but then I'm not native born like they are."

"The venting's good then, because it doesn't seem like it," Jason commented, taking a deep breath through his nose.

As they got to the front of the line, the boat ahead of the one they would be taking still had a few empty seats. "How many of you are there?" Roy asked the young couple behind him.

"There's three of us," the young woman replied and placed an arm around her little sister. Roy whistled and indicated to his teammates to let the trio go ahead of them.

"Thanks!" the little sister of the woman said.

"Okay, this is us," Dick said and lifted Barbara from her chair and easily got onto the boat with her.

They pulled forward slightly so the rest of their group could join them. The got settled and the boat lurched forward. Lian and Roy started singing about drunken sailors and soon almost everyone else was singing along. Connor Hawke was howling in laughter when the disembodied voice of one of the attendants came out through a skull asking them to keep it down. They quieted down slightly until about the middle of the ride where animatronic pirates were singing the song that they'd been asked to tone down. They silenced as they came near the end. Jason had slipped in next to Barbara at the beginning, at the end he lifted her out and set her back into her chair.

"First gig of the day and we're already being told to shut up," Jai laughed.

"This trip is officially a success!" Lian crowed.

"So are we going to have lunch first or do the group pic?" Tam asked, indicating Cinderella's Castle.

"How are you three holding up?" Lian asked the trio of speedsters.

"We can do the picture and then lunch," Wally told her.

There was a high school band getting their photo taken and they had a few minutes to wait. While they were waiting, Lian demanded that she get a picture of Chris, Damian, and Tim together. "I need a fairy picture!" Lian got her mobile out and Donna took out her camera. Damian folded his arms across his chest and gave them a perfectly raised eyebrow as Chris and Tim hammed it up for the camera. "D, I'm worried that you have this evil thing down pat," Lian grinned.

"It's in the blood," Damian smirked. Donna got one more where Damian got in between Chris and Tim as if separating them. Lian nearly choked at the pout on Chris' face as Tim made a fist at Damian.

"For somebody with a loathing dislike of all things Disney, you've definitely got the character down pat," Donna told Damian.

"Yet another reason we decided on Maleficent for him," Iris piped up. "Damian just be yourself while we dress you up a bit."

"Okay gang, we're up," Cassie called out to the others.

The park photographers commented on their outfits and asked what the occasion was. Lian said it was her birthday and they wished her a happy birthday before taking several shots with the castle behind them. "Now in character!" one of the photographers suggested and was handsomely rewarded.

Pirates and warriors drew toy weapons and menaced each other while a god hammed it up in front of a demi god and her human interest. Cassie fought the urge to laugh as Traci playfully flirted with Kon. Atlantean sorcerers eyed each other menacingly, while a pair of fish hammed it up with a mermaid and his human princess. A hatter did card tricks with a pair of gypsies while a trio of fairies and an ice king squared off against each other. A psychotic socialite eyed up the plumage of an unamused hornbill.

Bart had a sketchpad out and was drawing away furiously when Courtney leaned her head back and gave a famous call. She got a loud round of applause from the photographers, her teammates, and many of the guests lingering around awaiting their turn in front of the castle.

"I've got a photo pass, so I'll get the copies and email them out later," Donna offered.

"Take a bow Tarzan, because that kicked ass," Milagro complimented Courtney. She laughed as she doubled over in a deep bow for her audience.

"The veranda of the café's pretty empty," Bart pointed out and they made their way over for lunch.

Barbara told Dick what she wanted as she wheeled over to one of the larger tables to hold it. Cerdian offered to get his father something as Garth said that he'd sit with Barbara. "Something vegetarian, if they have it."

"Okay. If not, I'll ask that they put the steak on the side of the steak salad," Cerdian suggested.

"Whatever looks good, Honey," Linda told Wally. She grabbed a seat at an empty table next to Barbara and Garth and the three chatted as the others got lunch. "Did anyone else notice how the photographers went nuts when they told us to get into character?" she asked. Garth and Barbara howled in laughter and said that they had noticed.

Cassandra was the first one out and she placed a tray down in front of Barbara. "Dick told me what you wanted."

"Thanks Cass," Barbara said.

"And I heard what you told Dad," Jai said as he settled in next to his mother. Linda thanked him and waited with Barbara before they were joined by more of the group before eating.

"Ian got side tracked, Papi," Milagro stated as she handed over a salad to Garth.

"Thank you Mila," Garth told her and dug into his lunch. Cerdian joined them a few minutes later and Milagro handed over the side of steak from Garth's salad.

"Eating meat doesn't screw up with your powers the way it does with his?" Barbara asked Cerdian, indicating Garth.

"Nope," Cerdian grinned, rubbing his hands together in delight.

"You're familiar with the two sides of magic? Order and chaos?" Garth asked Barbara. She nodded. "Traci's mostly chaos magic, while I'm mostly order magics. Ian's an almost perfect blend of the two."

"So anything that would screw up either one of us, has no effect on him," Traci added, taking a seat at a table next to Milagro.

"You wanted to hit Space Mountain towards the end of the night, right?" Chris asked Lian.

"Yeah. I figure make it one of the last rides of the night," she replied.

"Whoever is doing Space Mountain later tonight, give me your tickets so I can go and get the quick passes," Chris piped up. He accepted tickets from almost everyone and took off to get the passes.

"Babs, you're a mobile charging station, right?" Kon asked as he checked his mobile. "I forgot to charge my phone last night."

"I most certainly am," she confirmed. She reached into a pouch on the side of her chair and pulled out two portable charging devices.

"Thanks," Kon said and plugged his mobile in to be charged. Several others took the opportunity to recharge their mobile devices while they had lunch.

Chris returned a short while later with the passes and handed them out. "We have the window between ten and eleven tonight," he informed them.

"Oh that's plenty of time to screw around then," Lian stated.

Donna looked at the available space on her camera's flash drive and frowned. "Jai, how many spare micro drives do you have?"

"A dozen, why?" he replied.

"Can I swap you out for a blank one?" Donna asked, and Jai handed over a high capacity drive. "Thanks Sweetie," she said as she swapped out the drives.

"No problem," Jai told her. He downloaded the one she'd handed him onto his tablet and wiped the memory clean when he was done. "And here's yours. I can download and wipe them for you if you like?" he offered.

"I like that plan," Donna agreed and tucked the spare drive into a pocket in her waistcoat.

"Okay gang, what's next?" Mia asked when they all finished eating.

"What the hell is Star Tours?" Courtney asked, looking at the map she'd picked up earlier. Several of the science fiction fans immediately perked up and gladly told her what it was.

"And it's wheelchair friendly," Barbara pointed out, checking out the information on her tablet. "Same as before? I get them ready for us?"

They all agreed and headed for the thrill ride. Once inside, Barbara made her way to the front and told the attendant that she was part of a large group and that she'd just wait until they showed up. Several times while in line, they got separated and let people go ahead of them until they were all together again. They were next and Barbara was able to settle in without any assistance. The ride was a 3-D thriller and almost all of them loved it. Sin however found it disconcerting and it made her nauseous.

"Little Sister?" Connor asked, as Sin held her head to try and still the dizziness that overcame her.

"That's my first time with 3-D," she murmured.

"Here," Courtney offered. "3-D makes me sick sometimes too," she said, handing Sin a tablet for motion sickness and some ginger ale to down it with.

"I've got dehydrated ginger too," Traci offered. Several of them took her up on the offer and Sin gladly accepted the remainder of the small bag. Traci assured her that she had more. A few of them felt at least slightly queasy after the 3-D ride.

"Why don't we vege down by the lake there while folk's stomachs settle?" Kon offered. They found a spot that was relatively deserted and relaxed in the early afternoon warmth. Sin meditated while the others chatted and planned out their next stop. After a few minutes she began to feel a lot better.

"You okay?" Mia asked when Sin sat up and stretched.

"Better," Sin replied. "I'll skip the roller coaster though," she chuckled.

"You can keep me company while they go tearing through the Matterhorn then," Barbara stated.

Next to the roller coaster they found a wall blocking off a ride undergoing refurbishment. "Jaime, Irey!" Donna demanded and pointed to the characters painted on the wall. They got several photos of the two posing next to their painted characters.

While they waited for their friends, Barbara offered to help Sin handle 3-D. "In our line of work, you will come across it again."

"True," Sin admitted. "I guess it would be better if I can handle it instead of wanting to heave up my guts."

"We need to go back on this thing before we leave tonight," Kara declared once they all joined up with Barbara and Sin. "So where to next?"

"I'm gonna kick the old man's ass at Astro-Blasters," Lian stated and smirked up at Roy.

"Ha! Dream on!" Roy told her.

"Tell me there's popcorn available somewhere in this joint," Tim laughed, folding his arms across his chest.

Several other marksmen picked challengers as they made their way over to the themed ride. "We need photographic proof of the winner," Cassie declared as Roy and Lian lined up to get on the next two man cart.

"Done," Lian stated and slipped in followed by Roy. It took the pair a shot each to get the hang of the comically shaped guns before the challenge went down. Father and daughter wasted no shots as they trundled through the course. Their score screens lit up and startled them both at the end. "You're kidding?" Lian muttered, as she snapped a photo of the scores.

"We tied?" Roy huffed.

Lian scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"What the hell?" Roy asked as an attendant marched purposely towards them.

"You both got the highest scores we've ever had on this ride!" the attendant cheered.

"You're joking," Roy told him. He assured Roy and Lian that he wasn't and pointed to a high score board.

"We smashed that," Lian stated, looking at the previous record.

"What's the hold up?" Tam asked as Roy and Lian were whisked away for a moment.

"They blew the previous high score out of the water," Kara chuckled, as several others in the group were whisked off for a moment

"They tied too apparently," Kon added.

Chris looked over at the high score board and laughed. A picture of Lian and Roy popped on screen with their scores. Lian had her toy sword aimed for Roy's heart, while Roy was drawing his toy bow and aiming an arrow between Lian's eyes. "That's parent child bonding right there!"

"Li Shang and Merida aren't from the same time period are they?" Cassie mused.

"They're not even from the same side of the planet," Jai scoffed.

"So Jase, Jaime, and the Arrows wiped out the old high scores?" Cassandra mused.

"By a mile," Wally smirked.

"So who sucked at it?" Iris asked. Lorena, Garth, and Cerdian raised their hands.

"We're colour blind," Garth offered.

"We couldn't make out half of the targets," Cerdian added with a laugh.

"I've developed Atlantean eyesight over the years and was just as blind as those two in there," Lorena shrugged.

"Oh my God," Linda exclaimed inside the shop that the ride exited into. Barbara wheeled over to her and her eyes grew wide in delight at what Linda had found.

"I need one, gimme!" Barbara added as Linda reached for a travel mug with seagulls all shouting 'mine' on it. Linda handed one to Barbara and the two cackled as they went to pay for them.

"I sense that their stock of those mugs is about to be wiped out," Connor mused. Sin howled in laughter as several of their teammates went to get travel mugs or regular coffee mugs with the amusing design.

"Dare I ask how much help Kahji was with your score?" Milagro teased her brother when he joined them after getting his picture taken for the score board.

"Nada," Jaime beamed. "That was straight up Cholo talent." Traci gave him a sceptical look and held a hand up behind his back over where Kahji resided on his spine.

"Hnn, it was too," Traci stated. Milagro was subtle as she used her ring to confirm Traci's report.

"Papi will be so proud," Milagro congratulated.

"The bug cheated for you," Mia teased.

"Nope," Jaime told her. He looked up and saw that he was directly under Lian and Roy. "Hold up, they're the only two I didn't beat?"

"Kahji's napping, believe it or not," Traci added for Mia.

"System restore," Jaime corrected.

"And it registers as a nap when I feel for it," Traci replied.

"I'm getting snooze too," Milagro said, glancing at her ring.

"How alive is that thing?" Mia asked.

"We have no idea," Jaime admitted. "Sentient enough that you can forget that he's an alien weapon of mass destruction." He glanced over his shoulder and playfully rolled his eyes as he mimicked yapping with his hand. "To quote," he coughed and jerked a thumb behind his back. "I am a highly advanced sentient construct with no biological definition of life."

"That's alright Kahji, we like to think of you as living," Traci purred and scratched at Jaime's back.

"God damn son of a bitch," he muttered softly as the scarab reacted in pleasure to Traci's ministrations.

"That will never not be funny," Mia laughed.

"So you're just naturally a good shot?" Jason asked, having overheard most of the conversation. Jaime nodded and Jason smirked.

"We're going on a munchies run and then do some shopping," Bart said as they reconvened outside.

"Hold on a minute," Roy said and glanced at his watch. "You wanted to hit the French Quarter for dinner, right?" he asked Lian. She nodded. "Why don't we all meet up over there at seven for dinner?" he suggested. They all checked their watches and agreed to meet up at seven before splitting into smaller groups.

Jason was bored and decided to tag along with Bart and Courtney for a while. They found a food court and Bart got two large order of fries while Jason and Courtney agreed to split one between them. Afterwards they wandered into the main shopping area of the theme park and hit one of the first stores they saw. Jason saw a wall of plush toys and smirked. "I've got a photo op for you two," he purred and held up one of the toy dalmatians.

Bart was nearly doubled over in laughter as Courtney took a few shots of Jason stroking the toy menacingly. "Do you have to make that look so sinister?" she asked as she checked her pictures.

"The Cruella pics wouldn't have been as bad if you guys had brought your kids along," Jason stated.

"They'd have been worse," Courtney retorted.

"Exactly," Jason agreed with a wicked grin.

Near the lake, Lian was with Roy and Donna as they wandered towards a shady area to watch the steam boat paddle by. "So how does twenty one feel?" Donna asked.

"Great," Lian replied. "Just don't ask me how I got this far, because I have no idea." Donna looked to Roy who was looking at Lian in surprise.

"I never told you?" Roy asked.

"Nope," Lian replied. "I'd have asked, but I figured you'd offer up the details when you were ready."

"Let's go over here," Donna suggested, finding a quiet out of the way bench. "You know how your dad was a wreck right?" Donna asked. Lian nodded. Donna hugged herself and sighed. "I felt so heartbroken for him and for you that I prayed to the gods." Donna went on to tell Lian about the gods hearing her and offering to answer her prayers.

"She ropes me into going to Themyscira with her and that's where they had everything ready to bring you back to life," Roy told his daughter. Donna and Roy took turns explaining the events that took place in a darkened temple on the Amazon's island home. "Once I knew you were alive again I pretty much lost it," Roy added. "I don't remember much after that."

"You fell into Demeter's arms and wept your thanks and joy into her lap," Donna told him. "I did the same on Persephone's shoulder," she admitted. "Afterwards we took you to my quarters and you slept for nearly two days straight."

"I vaguely remember being on Themyscira with you two and Dad looking a little older," Lian murmured.

"I knew it was you when you instantly cracked a joke about me being shot for being on no man's island," Roy chuckled. Donna leaned her head back and laughed fondly at the memory.

"So let me get this straight," Lian said, looking at Donna and Roy in disbelief. "I raised enough hell in the afterlife, that the gods said screw it and brought me back to life?"

"Pretty much," Donna replied.

"No wonder you were a mess," Lian murmured, hugging her father.

"That's all the in the past," he told her.

"Thank you for caring enough about Dad to do something," Lian added, hugging Donna tightly. Roy hugged the pair of them to his chest and they enjoyed the moment for a bit. "Okay, enough of this melancholy shit, this is supposed to be the happiest place on Earth," Lian stated after a while.

Donna howled in laughter as Roy playfully shoved his daughter. "You're horrible," he accused.

"So are you. You were supposed to let me win at Astro-Blasters," Lian playfully retorted.

"You're both horrible, but I love you anyway," Donna told them hugging Lian around the shoulders and kissing Roy's cheek.

Garth and Cerdian had found a shaded area to sit and people watch for a while. "I never told you about any of this stuff when you were growing up, did I?"

"A little here and there," Cerdian replied. "But nothing that prepared me for this."

"Amusement parks like this, is one of the few things I was never able to fully understand about the surface world," Garth mused. "Even now, I still don't quite get it."

"If it's any consolation, none of my team can explain the concept either…and they grew up with this stuff," Cerdian offered.

"Well if the surface dwellers can't understand it, who are we to try?" Garth chuckled.

"You're playing along nicely," Tam commented Damian near a haunted house.

"It is Lian's birthday. I'd be remiss if I didn't," Damian replied.

"You still said no when it was brought up," Dick reminded him.

"Gut reaction," Damian smirked. He made a polite cough and continued. "Granted I am grateful that I was over ruled."

"Seriously?" Barbara asked.

"How are you grateful?" Tim asked in disbelief.

"It has given me an opportunity to add merit to my long standing argument, that this company is little more than an evil cult," Damian purred. He laughed as his family playfully smacked him.

"Damian has a very fair point," Cass defended as she joined them with some drinks.

"Thank you," Damian smiled and nodded to her.

"You're welcome, dork," she playfully slapped him to the amusement of the others.

In the shopping area, Cassie, Kara, Kon, and Chris were wandering around trying to figure out what to get Martha. "Did Grandma suggest anything?" Chris asked.

"Cinderella has always been her favourite movie," Kara supplied.

"Maybe find a little Cinderella's castle for her?" Cassie suggested.

Kon pointed to a smaller shop. "We might try in there. I can see a lot of porcelain and ceramics." Chris slipped his wings off so he wouldn't accidentally knock anything over and they headed inside.

"This would be too much, wouldn't it?" Cassie chuckled, indicating a large ceramic copy of the castle.

"We'd have to make a stand for that thing and who knows where we'd put it," Kara laughed.

"The barn," Chris suggested. "It's about the only place that it would fit."

"I found it," Kon murmured. He held up a delicate porcelain replica of the castle that fit nicely in his palm.

"That looks like a Lladró piece," Cassie stated, gingerly lifting it up to check the bottom. "It is."

"Lladró?" Kara asked. Cassie looked up and saw that all three Kryptonians were giving her a puzzled look.

"Very, very high end porcelain," she explained. "Like Tiffany, only in porcelain."

Kon found a shop keeper and asked about the sculpture. He asked if the woman would get him one in a box and turned to his girlfriend and cousins. "How about we split it four ways. Seventy five each?"

"That's about right for a piece that size," Cassie murmured, doing the math in her head. Kara and Chris agreed. Cassie paid for the piece as the three cousins said that they'd pay their share later back at the hotel.

"We're giving this to Babs to hold for us, aren't we?" Chris asked as Cassie gingerly tucked the box away in Kara's backpack.

"Oh yeah," Kon agreed.

Connor, Mia, and Sin were wandering near Adventureland when they spotted Roy, Donna, and Lian in the distance. "I always wanted to come here as a little girl," Mia mused as they decided to join the trio near the lake.

"I didn't even know that such a place existed to be honest," Sin admitted.

"I did but it never interested me as a kid," Connor shrugged.

"Yeah, well you two didn't necessarily grow up like normal kids," Mia pointed out.

"How many in our group actually did?" Connor countered.

"He has a point," Sin piped up.

"Yeah that's true," Mia admitted.

"But?" Sin suggested as they got closer to the bench with Donna, Lian, and Roy. "Where does it specifically state that you ever have to grow up?" she drew her toy sword as Lian drew hers and the two had a mock sword fight.

"We should have had you dress up as Peter Pan," Roy teased.

"Who?" Sin asked.

"Oh my gods," Donna groaned, letting her head fall back.

"Okay, even I know that one," Connor stated. "I think we need to bring Little Sister up to speed…"

"On everything," Lian laughed.

"Duh," Mia muttered.

The Reyes and West families were near the front of the park doing some shopping and enjoying coffee drinks. Lorena Marquez had decided to tag along with them and was glad when they'd found the coffee shop. "The one thing they don't have in Atlantis," she mused.

"Tell me about it," Milagro scoffed. "I don't know how those two survive without it."

"Garth was never a coffee fan," Wally offered.

"He is now," Lorena and Milagro replied.

Iris gasped and pointed at one of the window displays. "Traci! Look!"

Traci spied the little Hades plush that Iris had spotted and grinned. "We're getting one for Nina," she told Jaime.

"Should we have even bothered getting her baptised?" Jaime asked jokingly.

"I'm perfectly accepting of your Catholicism," Traci stated primly. "And it won't screw up with her abilities as she gets older."

"How old is Nina now?" Linda asked.

"Nine weeks," Traci replied.

"You bounced back fast," Linda complimented.

"Remind me to bend your ear about motherhood later," Traci said, before excusing herself to dash in and get the toy for her daughter.

"You guys are lucky," Linda told Jaime. "You just had the one. We had twins," she added, pointing to Iris and Jai.

"Why are you still pointing at me?" Jai asked.

"Because you were always the pain in the ass," Linda smiled sweetly at her son.

"Is Nina sleeping through the night yet?" Wally asked.

"Muchas gracias a Dios," Jaime sighed in relief, holding his hands together in prayer. "Apparently she takes after me on that one," he said.

"Mama said Jaime was sleeping through the night by the time he was a month old," Milagro added.

"Unlike somebody," Jaime smirked at his sister.

"I was a preemie with complications, I had an excuse," Milagro dismissed.

"I damn near flunked second grade because of the lack of sleep," Jaime laughed. Milagro backhanded him as Lorena laughed. "It was nearly spring break I think by the time she finally stopped screaming in the middle of the night."

"Dude? Eight months?" Jai asked.

"Yeah, but she was a close call," Jaime admitted. "She didn't come home until she was nearly two months old."

"Whoa," Linda gaped.

"Hence the name Milagro," Traci offered as she met up with them again. "It's the Spanish word for miracle."

"I guess we got lucky then," Wally told Linda. "Jai was the cranky one but not for that long."

Iris smothered a giggle as Jai sagged and glared at his father. "Irey was the pain in the butt when they began teething though," Linda reminded her husband.

"Oh my God she was," Wally groaned. Jai perked up and smirked at his twin.

"Miss perfect wasn't so perfect after all?" Jai grinned.

"Not when it came to teething," Wally admitted.

"Shut up, Jerk," Iris hissed, smacking Jai on the arm.

Lorena glanced at her watch as Linda scolded the twins. "Hey it's a quarter to seven," she piped up. "You guys want to start heading over to dinner?" The two families were the last to arrive and made their way towards the back of the outdoor dining area where the rest of them had secured enough tables.

"Jason did you have to?" Barbara groaned when Courtney showed her the pictures from the store.

"Of course," Jason smirked.

"Oh hey!" Tam grinned, digging through her backpack. "I got these from Bruce. They're from one of the foundation's fundraisers." She pulled out a paper bag and began handing out little green sticks to everyone.

Jason twisted the top and it lit up a bright green colour. "Oh cool!" Milagro exclaimed, as she used a trio of the sticks to hold her hair back.

"I've got a ton of them," Tam said. A small group of teenage girls at a nearby table asked if they could have one each and Tam gladly handed them several each. They thanked her for them and asked Tam what the deal was with their costumes.

As Tam talked to the teens, Damian slid the end of one of his sticks into cuff of his shirt. "Donna, how about this?" he asked, holding his hand up to block the actual stick but letting it light his face an eerie green colour.

"Hold that pose," Donna grinned and got out her camera.

"For a professed hater of all things Disney, you're really rocking it," Iris teased. Damian shot her a dirty look out of the corner of his eyes as Donna took several pictures.

"D beat you in the menacing picture department," Tim told Jason.

"Maybe…maybe not," Jason smirked and reached into a bag he had with him. He pulled out three dalmatian plushes, each one slightly different and placed them on the table. "Teejay, Alia, and Nina," he said, indicating which plush was for which missing infant.

Tim howled in laughter as Jason used the toys to ham it up for Donna's camera. "You're an ass," Tim said when Jason handed over the plush he'd bought for Teejay,

"And you love me for it," Jason replied as Tim thanked him for the gift. "Okay that one's Alia's," he said handing over the least spotted one to Bart. "And this is for Nina." Traci thanked him for the toy and tucked it away in her bag.

"Dress up like that for Halloween and I might just give you a Chinese Mexican dalmatian to carry around with you," Traci offered.

"Done," Jason told her, snapping his fingers as he did.

Donna finished taking pictures and handed her camera to Garth for safe keeping. "I'll be right back," she told him and went inside the restaurant. She returned a few minutes later with a sly smirk on her face and went to retrieve her camera.

"You're up to something," Garth mused, handing over the camera.

"Maybe," Donna teased.

"Not maybe…you are," Garth stated. "I know you too well, remember?" Donna conceded that he did and leaned down to kiss him on the cheek.

"Holy crap, you're kidding?" Lian exclaimed when a waiter came out a few minutes later with a large birthday cake.

"Donna and I ordered this for you a while back," Roy told her.

"Thank you," Lian sniffled and hugged the pair of them. They sang a rousing chorus of Happy Birthday and Lian blew out the candles. "We were already told to shut up before we ever started the first ride, so my wish has already came true!" she laughed. The cake was cut and Lian made sure everyone had a piece. She even gave people sitting nearby a piece each as she had nowhere to put the leftovers.

"Okay, we have a couple of hours yet before our window on Space Mountain," Chris said as they began getting ready to hit the rides again.

"Thunder Mountain!" Lian cheered.

They broke up with the majority of them heading for Thunder Mountain. Linda had decided that she would hit Space Mountain as her last ride and opted to hang out with Barbara. Donna tracked them down after the roller coaster and laughed as she showed the two a video she got of the group on the roller coaster.

"I was sitting near the exit with Garth and we were watching for the train that they were on," Donna explained. "Tam made it easy with those glow sticks."

"I see what you mean," Linda chuckled.

"Are they singing mushroom, mushroom?" Barbara asked as the video showed a train of glowing green sticks zip past. Donna laughed and said that they were.

"They're going to hit the Matterhorn again," Donna informed the other two women. "Try and see if they can time it with the fireworks."

"There they go," Linda stated, pointing to a large collection of green glowing sticks dancing across the park.

"I love those things," Barbara chuckled as the trio headed towards the roller coaster that the main group was heading for.

The line was short and moving fast and the group decided on a second run. Traci sat out that one to join Linda, Barbara, and Donna hanging out near the exit. Traci removed the wrap she had on and tied it around her waist. Digging into her backpack, she pulled out a hooded sweater with a skull design on the back and put it on. "It is a bit chilly, isn't it?" Linda commented, rooting around her bag for a jacket she'd brought with her.

"Just a wee bit," Traci agreed. "Oop, here you go," she added as Garth joined them. She handed over a pair of earplugs and warned him that the fireworks would be starting soon.

"Thank you," he told her and slipped them in.

"We gave Ian a pair already," Traci told him and he nodded.

"Oh wow!" Linda exclaimed when the first of the fireworks went off. Donna glanced around and noticed that it was dark enough that no one would see her lift off the ground to get a better shot of the show. Garth looked up and saw that she was easily hidden in the foliage of the trees as she filmed the show. "I can't see her," Linda stated.

"I can and she's still well hidden," Garth assured her.

On the roller coaster, the train came out of a cave just as a massive shower of coloured explosions lit up the sky. Lian pointed and grinned at the show as they zipped back into the mountain again. Their ride ended and they all made their way to where their friends were waiting for them and watching the show. "Where's Donna?" Lian asked. Garth pointed up and only the ones with enhanced vision were able to spot her.

"She's filming it," Kon said before letting his attention drift back to the fireworks.

The fireworks ended in a grand finale and Donna chuckled at the whistling and applause from her group as she drifted back down to them. "I got everything but the opening barrage," she said as she checked her footage. "Including a train-load of green glowing sticks." Lian hugged her as she glanced at the screen on Donna's camera.

"We've got about twenty minutes until our window for the quick passes on Space Mountain," Roy said, checking his watch.

"Food," Wally groaned.

"There's a food place near the entrance of the ride?" Courtney pointed out, indicating her map.

They made their way over and saw that most of the tables were abandoned. They grabbed an area near the entrance to Space Mountain and settled in as the ones who wanted snacks went and got them. Barbara offered to watch over bags and backpacks as they wrapped up and got up to get in line. Courtney stayed with her and claimed that she'd been terrified of the ride as a child. "I think I was like seven or something…I have bad memories of it," she explained.

"There's an hour wait?" Jason marvelled. "This late at night?"

"Hence the quick passes," Chris said.

"I did a bit of research and saw that it would be our best bet," Tim added.

The passes let them get onto the coaster in about ten minutes. Lian and Jai were in the front of the train and Lian practically bounced in glee as they got underway. "Oh I'm gonna feel this one," Jai muttered as the train dropped off the edge and they quickly built up speed. Lian couldn't see anything in the dark but she could hear her friends and family hooting and hollering as the coaster tore through the track. Lorena was near the back of the train and spent most of the ride laughing as she could see the taller members of the group duck instinctively.

"You guys were nowhere near close enough to getting your heads smacked on anything," she told them once they got off.

"Instinct," Cerdian defended. Even though he'd been able to see in the dark just fine he'd ducked quite a bit.

"Smack your head on enough doorways and you learn to duck," Jason added.

"You okay?" Linda asked Jai when she saw that he was holding a hand over his abdomen.

"Yeah I'm fine," Jai assured her. "I can just tell where my gall bladder was six months ago." He explained that the g-forces had tugged on the scar tissue in his abdomen. "Wee! Tug…wee! Tug," he mimed.

"You do have a bit of excessive scar tissue in there," Kon said, looking into Jai's stomach.

"And I've been feeling it all day," Jai chuckled.

"It doesn't hurt does it?" Wally asked in concern.

"No. It just feels weird as hell," Jai assured his father. "I swear I'm okay. It's just getting used to the feeling is a little odd," he added when his parents gave him sceptical looks. Mia overheard a bit of the conversation and stepped in on Jai's behalf.

"You forget about it for a while and then you feel a tug and you want to cover it up with your hand to make sure nothing rips open, even though it's long healed," Mia stated. "I still do it sometimes and mine's been out for a few years." She lifted the hem of her shirt to show her scars. Jai thanked her as Wally and Linda shared a look.

Linda shrugged after deciding that Jai was okay. "I guess I don't get thrown around as much as you guys," she added, having never felt the sensation Jai and Mia were referring to.

"It's your damn fault I'm feeling this in the first place," Jai teased his mother.

"Keep it up, smart guy," Linda playfully warned, holding her hand up as if to backhand him.

They met up with Barbara and Courtney and decided to head back to the hotel as the park was closing soon. As they walked, Lorena spotted a young woman dressed as Wendy from Peter Pan. "Tink, Rufio!" she called out after asking the woman if she'd mind having her picture taken with some of them. Chris and Kara both laughed and joined Lorena and the young woman, who said her actual name was Wendy.

"My folks named me after the character," she chuckled.

Wendy's friends laughed along with several of the team that were taking the pictures as the quartet hammed it up for the camera. They thanked Wendy for playing along and introduced themselves before bidding Wendy and her friends a good night.

The team made their way back to the hotel and went to change out of their outfits or set up the after party planned in the rooms the current band of Titans were in. Lian had stated that she didn't need any gifts as everyone's presence on her special day at the park was gift enough. Hardly anyone had listened and one of the tables in the party room was loaded with gifts.

"You're first legal drink," Roy said, handing over a glass of Lian's favourite rum and coke.

Lian glanced at Milagro and puzzled for a moment. "We weren't legal in Mexico were we?"

"Nope," Milagro chuckled.

Lian settled on one of the beds against Chris who was leaning against the headboard, as the presents were handed over to her. "I love this box," she said when she was presented with a simple koa wood box. "This has to be from Ian," she added when she opened it to find a beautiful handmade set of jewellery. Cerdian had also made her one of the map pendants when he'd overheard her a few weeks earlier state that she would love one. "Thank you," Lian told him and gave him a kiss on his cheek.

A second jewellery box was handed over and it contained a pair of diamond studs. "From Tim and me," Tam told her. Jai laughed after scrutinising the lid of the handmade box.

"Deciphered it, I take it?" Tim smirked.

"Huh?" Lian asked and looked at the lid that had binary code painted on it.

"Happy twenty first birthday, Lian," Jai and Tim said in unison.

"Oh my God that's adorable!" Lian laughed. "Thank you." She gave Tim and Tam a kiss each and handed the box over to Barbara to see. Barbara laughed at the clever design. Traci smirked when she saw what the next gift was that was being handed to Lian. "Traci and Jaime…has to be!" Lian exclaimed when she saw a small quartz crystal skull tucked into the small gift box. "I love it!" she added when Jaime confirmed that it was from them.

"Pay up," Traci teased her husband and held out a hand towards him. Lian roared in laughter at the look Jaime gave Traci as he slipped her a twenty dollar bill.

"Oh," Lian murmured in awe when she opened up her next gift. "Sin?" she asked, handing over the bowl when she noticed characters etched into it.

Sin scrutinised the characters scratched into the bottom of the small jade bowl with a dragon relief. "That's a Liangzhu piece. It's over a thousand years old." Lian looked at the wrapping to see if she could find a name.

Garth held his hand up. "I found that in an ancient shipwreck not long after you were born and decided that I'd gift it to you on your twenty first birthday," he told her. Lian launched into his arms and hugged him tightly as she thanked him profusely for the priceless gift.

"How did it survive…?" Lian asked. Marvelling that Garth still had it after it all this time.

"I had it in safe custody," Garth assured her, glancing at Dick.

"It's beautiful, thank you," Lian murmured and kissed Garth's brow.

"Thanks for screwing it up for the rest of us," Kara teased Garth as Lian settled back on the bed next to Chris. He laughed as Lian playfully kicked Kara and said that he hadn't screwed up anything.

"Don't you people put name tags on anything?" Lian asked after opening her next gift to find a beautiful mineral specimen inside.

"Nope," Milagro smirked, buffing her nails against her shirt.

"Alright, what is it?" Lian asked.

"A carbonaceous chondrite meteor I found out in the Ort Cloud that contains someone's birthstone in the matrix," Milagro replied.

"Those are diamonds?" Lian gaped, spying the clear crystals sparkling throughout the specimen. Milagro nodded. "This is why having superheroes as friends, kicks ultimate ass!" Lian stated as she leaned over to hug Milagro.

"It is handy," Connor admitted, handing over another gift to Lian. "And this one's from me," he chuckled as Lian looked for a gift tag.

"Thank you," Lian grinned. She opened the gift and her jaw dropped in awe. "Seriously, thank you," she murmured, picking up the small, delicate, jade Buddhist prayer wheel.

"You're welcome," Connor grunted when Lian latched onto him in a bear hug.

"We're going to have to redesign my specimen wall at this rate," Lian told Jai and Chris as she opened up the next gift that was a large tourmaline crystal in the matrix. "Kara Kent! Thank you for marking it!" Lian laughed when she saw the first gift tag of the night. Kara laughed as Lian hugged her and thanked her for the gift.

"Thank you for being a rock nut and making gift giving easy," Kara chuckled.

Lian pointed to each gift she'd received so far and nodded. "True, since everything has been a rock in some form or another," Lian agreed.

"Told you," Wally teased Linda as Lian opened their present.

"Oh cool!" Lian exclaimed. "Wait…fossilised water?" she asked, handing the agate geode over to Cerdian.

"Yep, about a shot glass full," he told her, handing the geode back to her. Lian tilted the geode in different directions to see the water drain through the small cavity in the centre. It had been cut just so that the water remained trapped inside.

"Thank you so much," Lian gushed, hugging Wally and Linda. "I didn't have any before now."

"I didn't know there was such a thing to be honest," Linda said, hugging Lian tightly.

"Neither did I," Wally added. "But Jai mentioned it once and then we spotted that in a natural history store."

"You do pay attention," Lian teased Jai.

"Yes I do and this from me," he added, handing over his gift.

"You really pay attention," Lian gaped in delight. "That's a beautiful moonstone specimen," she added, holding the large crystal up for everyone to see. Roy coughed and Lian shot him a dirty look out of the corner of her eye as she kissed Jai in thanks.

"You'll probably need to clear your throat again in a minute," Chris teased Roy as he handed over his present to Lian. Like Jai, he knew what Lian's favourite stone was.

Lian opened it and looked over at Roy. "Cough…I dare you," she threatened, pulling a moonstone necklace out of the small gift box Chris had handed her.

The others laughed as Roy coughed loudly while Lian planted a kiss of thanks on Chris' mouth. "Ignore him," Barbara chuckled. "This is from Dick and me," she added, handing over another gift.

"Is it Baltic?" Lian grinned when she saw the carved amber scent bottle the couple had given her.

"Czech," Dick replied.

Lian considered for a moment before her eyes lit up. "I don't have Czech amber, thank you!" Lian hugged and kissed the pair in thanks while Jason and Cassandra shared an amused look.

"From Cass and me," Jason said, handing over a gift bag.

Lian grinned at the small amber rabbit and Cassandra folded her arms looking to Dick and Barbara. "That's Baltic amber," she said before Lian could ask.

"Who knew I just had to wait until my twenty first birthday to get two samples of the finest amber on the planet, thanks!" Lian laughed, hugging Jason and Cassandra. "Okay…amber, anyone else? Nope, next!" Lian laughed.

"Properly acquired so as not to offend any deities," Kon winked, handing over his gift to Lian.

Lian ripped open the wrapping and pulled out a lava rock with peridot crystals in it. "From which volcano?"

"Kilauea," Kon replied.

"Madam Pele won't get angry?" Lian asked as she hugged him.

"Nope, and I know that for a fact," Kon assured her.

"She's actually quite nice," Cassie added, handing over another present.

"Really?" Lian asked. "Oh Cassie," she murmured, taking out the small marble relief of the goddess Artemis. "Thank you so much," she gushed, hugging the Amazon.

"You're welcome," Cassie told her and hugged Lian back.

Mia handed over a box larger than most of the ones Lian had already opened and said that it was from her. "Oh wow! Wait, that's spinel," Lian commented as she spied the gemstones set into the silver base of the ornate glass Mia had given her.

"I have no idea what that is, but I figured that I'd stick to the rock theme," Mia told her as the two hugged.

"Don't ask her to explain it please," Chris pleaded.

"You can tell me later," Mia told Lian and laughed when Lian punched Chris' shoulder.

"Add me to that list," Sin stated, handing over her present.

"Oh hold up," Lian gaped, taking out a small green stone dragon. She dashed into the bathroom to look through the stone in the harsh light of the bathroom. "Where did you get this?" she asked as she returned to the main room.

"Nepal and I have no idea what the stone is," Sin replied.

"Chrysoprase," Lian told her. "The most valuable form of chalcedony and a bitch to come by."

"She really knows her rocks?" Jason asked.

"Oh yes she does," Roy commented.

Lian thanked Sin in Chinese and handed the dragon over to Barbara to set aside with the rest of the gifts that Lian had already opened. "You took advantage of your Atlantean attributes, didn't you?" Lian asked Lorena when she opened her gift.

"Of course," Lorena grinned. Lian held up a small jar of emeralds Lorena had collected from various shipwrecks. "I'm Mexican and I'm giving them to her, so don't give me any grief," Lorena teased Jaime and Milagro in Spanish.

"It's totally cool that you're gifting them to her," Jaime replied in Spanish.

"Yeah, not like the bastards that stole them in the first place," Milagro added.

"Gracias," Lorena told the siblings.

Lian glanced between Lorena, Milagro, and Jaime and shook her head. "No clue," she admitted and thanked Lorena for her gift.

"Bart and I took advantage of our powers for this one," Courtney said, handing over a lacquered box.

Lian opened the box and gaped before wiping at her lip. "Jesus I drooled," she laughed. "Holy crap, where did you guys find this?" They had given her a fossilised ammonite.

"Antarctica," Bart replied. "Granted I'm not quite as talented as you at identifying minerals, but I'm pretty sure that that's agate that created the fossil."

Lian nodded. "Green agate fossil from Antarctica, crosses off three things on my wish list in one piece," she said. "Thanks guys!" she hugged them tightly and kissed Bart's cheek.

"Three things?" Roy asked.

"Green agate. An agatized fossil, and it came from Antarctica," Lian rattled off.

"She is ridiculously easy to please, isn't she?" Damian teased.

"That you even came, is present enough, thank you," Lian told Damian as she accepted his gift. "You're kidding?" she gaped when she opened the small jewellery box and spied the ring inside.

"Diamond is the stone for April, correct?" Damian asked.

Lian nodded and slipped the infinity band onto her right middle finger to rest next to a white diamond one she already had. "You've got every colour in here," she gaped at the rainbow of tiny stones set into the ring.

"I confess that it was Iris' suggestion," Damian said when Lian hugged him and thanked him for the ring.

"The one he gave me still owns that one," Iris teased, handing over another gift.

"I dunno," Lian mused, eying the blue diamond engagement ring Iris wore. "Rubies in a feldspar matrix? Where on earth did you find this?" Lian asked as she held up the specimen.

"Believe it or not, that stuff is just laying around on the ground in Greenland," Iris told her.

"I know that," Lian grinned. "This is from Greenland?" Iris nodded and Lian hugged her tight. "Thanks Irey! You need to shoot me over there for a rock hunting trip some time." Iris promised that she would as Lian turned to accept a gift from Donna.

"It's related to what we told you earlier," Donna told Lian, as she held up an Amazon goblet made of gold.

Lian teared up and hugged Donna. "Thank you," she whispered over and over again.

"I'll bite," Roy said as Cassie studied the goblet.

"It's engraved with the symbols of Demeter and Persephone," Cassie explained.

"Gotcha," Roy said around a lump in his throat.

"There's a story here?" Cassie guessed, handing the goblet over to Barbara to set aside with the other gifts. Lian nodded and asked that Donna and Roy tell it.

"Let's just say that I'm eternally grateful to the both of them for giving both of us a second chance," Roy said as he finished up the story of Lian's reanimation. "Last few," he added, holding out a gift for Lian. "From Jade." As Lian accepted the present, Roy gave Donna a pointed look that suggested he'd be thanking her for her intervention later.

"We really need to redo that wall of mine," Lian sniffled, holding up a small willow carved of lavender coloured jade.

"Yeah we do," Chris agreed.

"Second to last, from Dinah and Ollie," Roy said handing over an ornately wrapped parcel.

"And they still managed to keep in the rock theme!" Lian laughed. She held up the box to show off a crystal decanter and wine glass set. The stopper on the decanter was silver set with red cabochons of carnelian.

"And last but not least," Roy chuckled handing over the smaller of the two he had for her.

Lian laughed and leapt into his arms when she opened the first present. "A lump of coal for Christmas and one for my birthday! You're the sweetest, Daddy!"

"Your girlfriend's a nutcase," Wally chuckled at Jai.

"And?" Jai retorted. "Tell me something I don't know."

"And this is from me and some folks you might know," Roy said handing over a long slender wooden box.

Lian swallowed hard when she saw the ceremonial pipe that lay inside the box. "Daddy, I can't accept this," she gasped.

"There's a whole settlement in Arizona that says you can," Roy told her. The smoking pipe was simple and elegant as she lifted it reverently from the box.

"Ah-sheh'heh," Lian choked. "I never thought in a million years that I'd ever own pipestone. Let alone in a ceremonial pipe."

"Carrie says that if anyone deserves a treasure like that, it was you," Roy told his daughter.

"What's pipestone?" Cerdian asked.

"It's sacred to Native Americans," Lian explained. "Legend has it that there was a great flood in the ancient times."

"The blood from the victims swept up in the flood, collected and solidified to become pipestone," Roy added. "Prayers offered on a pipe made of pipestone are lifted directly up to the Great Spirit."

"That explains why you can feel the power emanating from it, clear over here," Garth said.

"Yeah you can," Traci agreed as Cerdian nodded.

"They're certain it's alright for me to have this?" Lian asked Roy.

Roy nodded. "The only condition is that you wait until you're on the reservation to use it for the first time."

"That I will do," Lian promised, setting the pipe back inside its box and closing it. Roy accepted the box and set it with the rest of Lian's presents. "Thank you everyone for the loot, not that I asked for it. You guys coming here and celebrating with me is more than enough!"

"Like you're going to get away with turning twenty one and the five of us not giving you something to remember it by," Dick scoffed. Roy, Wally, Donna, and Garth all laughed and gestured to Dick.

"Ditto from your current teammates," Iris added.

"And the rest of us," Kon chuckled.

Lian laughed. "That D and Jai didn't need to be threatened with death to come along was more than enough, but thank you all."

"You have all the evidence catalogued?" Jai asked Damian.

"Of course. And there's more than enough to sufficiently close the case," Damian replied as Jai moved over to sit next to Damian with his laptop.

"Evidence?" Lian asked. Jai held up his laptop and Chris howled in laughter. "You're seriously going to pad your cracked theory at my birthday party?" Lian snorted.

"Why not?" Damian smirked.

"Let them have this one," Tim laughed. "They did participate…willingly no less." Iris disagreed and smacked the pair of them on the back of the head.

Lian shook her head at the pair before asking for a refill of her drink. It was well after three in the morning when the party began to wind down. The following morning, they all wandered over to a greasy spoon that Mia swore was a treat and great cure for any hangovers.

_A/N part II: the costumes each character was wearing…these match what most of the bunch I went with wore, though there were way more of us than in this story. _

Tim – Flora, Damian – Maleficent, Donna – Mad Hatter, Lorena – Hook, Kara – Rufio, Chris – Tink, Jason – Cruella De Vil, Garth – Ursula, Wally – Ariel, Linda – Prince Eric, Tam – Zazu, Mia – John Smith, Dick – Esmeralda, Babs – Quasimodo, Traci – Hades, Cassie – Hercules, Kon – Megara, Jai – Fa Mulan, Lian – Li Shang, Sin – Shan Yu, Bart – Jane, Courtney – Tarzan, Cerdian – Kida, Iris – Nemo, Jaime – Dory, Cass- Jack Sparrow, Milagro – Flynn Rider, Roy – Merida, Connor - Elsa


End file.
